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HERNANDO     CORTEZ. 


Hernando  Cortez 


BY 


JOHN   S.  C.  ABBOTT 


THE    WERNER    COMPANY 

BOOK  MANUFACTURERS 

Akron,  Ohio 


UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


PREFACE 


The  career  of  Hernando  Cortez  is  one  of  the  most 
wild  and  adventurous  recorded  in  the  annals  of  fact 
or  fiction,  and  yet  all  the  prominent  events  in  his 
wondrous  history  are  well  authenticated.  All  truth 
carries  with  itself  an  important  moral.  The  writer, 
in  this  narrative,  has  simply  attempted  to  give  a 
vivid  idea  of  the  adventures  of  Cortez  and  his  com- 
panions in  the  Conquest  of  Mexico.  There  are  many 
inferences  of  vast  moment  to  which  the  recital  leads. 
These  are  so  obvious  that  they  need  not  be  pointed 
out. 


681006  w 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS 


Chapter  Pagb 

I.  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  MEXICO 1 5 

II.  EARLY   LIFE  OF  CORTEZ 27 

III.  THE   VOYAGE   TO   MEXICO 49 

IV.  FOUNDING   A   COLONY 69 

V.  THE   TLASCALANS   SUBJUGATED 95 

VI.  THE   MARCH   TO   MEXICO 122 

VII.  THE   METROPOLIS   INVADED 1 47 

VIII.  BATTLE   OF  THE    DISMAL   NIGHT 1 73 

IX.  THE   CAPITAL   BESIEGED   AND   CAPTURED  .      .      .      .    1 98 

X.  THE   CONQUEST  CONSUMMATED 227 

XI.  THE   EXPEDITION   TO   HONDURAS 249 

XII.  THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  CORTEZ 27 1 


On 


(») 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Pagb 

hernando  cortez Frontispiece 

BIRTHPLACE   OF   HERNANDO   CORTEZ 27 

SPANIARDS   DESTROYING   MEXICAN    IDOLS 98 

CAPTURE   OF  MONTEZUMA 1 54 

BATTLE   OF   OTUMBA I90 

Herkando  Cortez  —  M.  of  H. 


fxiii) 


HERNANDO    CORTEZ 


CHAPTER    I. 
The  Discovery  of  Mexico. 

The  shore  of  America  in  1492.— Doubt  and  alarm.— A  light  appears.— He 
watches  the  light.— The  shore  is  seen.— The  Spaniards  land  and  are  hos- 
pitably received. —  Mexico  is  discovered. —  Arts  and  sciences  of  the  Mexi- 
cans.—The  mines  of  precious  metals.— Code  of  laws.— Punishments.— 
Slavery.— Military  glory.— Mexican  mythology.— The  three  states  of 
existence.—  Infant  baptism.  —  Worship.—  The  temples  and  altars.—  Mode 
of  offering  sacrifice.— City  of  Mexico.— Montezuma.— Civilization  of  the 
inhabitants. —  The  Governor  of  Cuba  resolves  to  subjugate  the  country.— 
Motives  for  carrying  on  conquests. —  Hernando  Cortez. 

Only  a  very  few  centuries  ago  the  ocean  which 
washes  the  shores  of  America  was  one  vast 
and  silent  solitude.  No  ship  plowed  its 
waves;  no  sail  whitened  its  surface.  On  the  nth  of 
October,  1492,  three  small  vessels  might  have  been 
seen  invading,  for  the  first  time,  these  hitherto  un- 
known waters.  They  were  as  specks  on  the  bosom 
of  infinity.  The  sky  above,  the  ocean  beneath,  gave 
no  promise  of  any  land.  Three  hundred  adventurers 
were  in  these  ships.     Ten  weeks  had   already  passed 

(15) 


i6  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

since  they  saw  the  hills  of  the  Old  World  sink  beneath 
the  horizon. 

For  weary  days  and  weeks  they  had  strained  their 
eyes  looking  toward  the  west,  hoping  to  see  the 
mountains  of  the  New  World  rising  in  the  distance. 
The  illustrious  adventurer,  Christopher  Columbus,  who 
guided  these  frail  barks,  inspired  by  science  and  by 
faith,  doubted  not  that  a  world  would  ere  long  emerge 
before  him  from  the  apparently  boundless  waters.  But 
the  blue  sky  still  overarched  them,  and  the  heaving 
still  extended  in  all  directions  its  unbroken  and  in- 
terminable expanse. 

Discouragement  and  alarm  now  pervaded  nearly 
all  hearts,  and  there  was  a  general  clamor  for  return 
to  the  shores  of  Europe.  Christopher  Columbus, 
sublime  in  the  confidence  with  which  his  exalted  na- 
ture inspired  him,  was  still  firm  and  undaunted  in 
his  purpose. 

The  night  of  the  nth  of  October  darkened  over 
these  lonely  adventurers.  The  stars  came  out  in  all 
the  brilliance  of  tropical  splendor.  A  fresh  breeze 
drove  the  ships  with  increasing  speed  over  the  bil- 
lows, and  cooled,  as  with  balmy  zephyrs,  brows 
heated  through  the  day  by  the  blaze  of  a  meridian 
sun.  Columbus  could  not  sleep.  He  stood  upon  the 
deck  of  his  ship,  silent  and  sad,  yet  indomitable  in 
energy,  gazing  with  intense  and  unintermitted  watch 
into    the    dusky    distance.      It    was    near    midnight. 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  MEXICO       17 

Suddenly  he  saw  a  light,  as  of  a  torch,  far  off  in  the 
horizon.  His  heart  throbbed  with  an  irrepressible 
tumult  of  excitement.  Was  it  a  meteor,  or  was  it  a 
light  from  the  Iong-wished-for  land  ?  It  disappeared, 
and  all  again  was  dark.  But  suddenly  again  it  gleamed 
forth,  feeble  and  dim  in  the  distance,  yet  distinct. 
Soon  again  the  exciting  ray  was  quenched,  and  noth- 
ing disturbed  the  dark  and  somber  outline  of  the  sea. 
The  long  hours  of  the  night  to  Columbus  seemed  in- 
terminable as  he  waited  impatiently  for  the  dawn. 
But  even  before  any  light  was  seen  in  the  east,  the 
dim  outline  of  land  appeared  in  indisputable  distinct- 
ness before  the  eyes  of  the  entranced,  the  now  im- 
mortalized navigator.  A  cannon  —  the  signal  of  the 
discovery  —  rolled  its  peal  over  the  ocean,  announcing 
to  the  two  vessels  in  the  rear  the  joyful  tidings.  A 
shout,  excited  by  the  heart's  intensest  emotions,  rose 
over  the  waves,  and  with  tears,  with  prayers,  and  em- 
braces, these  enthusiastic  men  accepted  the  discovery 
of  the  New  World. 

The  bright  autumnal  morning  dawned  in  richest 
glory,  presenting  to  them  a  scene  as  of  a  celestial  par- 
adise. The  luxuriance  of  tropical  vegetation  bloomed 
in  all  its  novelty  around  them.  The  inhabitants, 
many  of  them  in  the  simple  and  innocent  costume  of 
Eden  before  the  fall,  crowded  the  shore,  gazing  with 
attitude  and  gesture  of  astonishment  upon  the  strange 
phenomena   of   the   ships.      The   adventurers    landed, 

M.  ofH.— XV— 2 


1 8  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

and  were  received  upon  the  island  of  San  Salvador  as 
angels  from  heaven  by  the  peaceful  and  friendly 
natives.  Bitterly  has  the  hospitality  been  requited. 
After  cruising  around  for  some  time  among  the 
beautiful  islands  of  the  New  World,  Columbus  re- 
turned to  Spain  to  astonish  Europe  with  the  tidings 
of  his  discovery.  He  had  been  absent  but  seven 
months. 

A  quarter  of  a  century  passed  away,  during  which 
all  the  adventurers  of  Europe  were  busy  exploring 
these  newly-discovered  islands  and  continents.  Va- 
rious colonies  were  established  in  the  fertile  valleys  of 
these  sunny  climes,  and  upon  the  hill-sides  which 
emerged,  in  the  utmost  magnificence  of  vegetation, 
from  the  bosom  of  the  Caribbean  Sea.  The  eastern 
coast  of  North  America  had  been  during  this  time 
surveyed  from  Labrador  to  Florida.  The  bark  of  the 
navigator  had  discovered  nearly  all  the  islands  of  the 
West  Indies,  and  had  crept  along  the  winding  shores 
of  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  and  of  the  South  American 
continent  as  far  as  the  River  La  Plata.  Bold  explor- 
ers, guided  by  intelligence  received  from  the  Indians, 
had  even  penetrated  the  interior  of  the  isthmus,  and 
from  the  summit  of  the  central  mountain  barrier  had 
gazed  with  delight  upon  the  placid  waves  of  the 
Pacific.  But  the  vast  indentation  of  the  Mexican  Gulf, 
sweeping  far  away,  in  an  apparently  interminable  cir- 
cuit to  the  west,  had   not  yet   been   penetrated.     The 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  MEXICO       19 

field  for  romantic  adventure  which  these  unexplored 
realms  presented  could  not,  however,  long  escape  the 
eye  of  that  chivalrous  age. 

Some  exploring  expeditions  were  soon  fitted  out 
from  Cuba,  and  the  shores  of  Mexico  were  discovered. 
Here  every  thing  exhibited  the  traces  of  a  far  higher 
civilization  than  had  hitherto  been  witnessed  in  the 
New  World.  There  were  villages,  and  even  large 
cities,  thickly  planted  throughout  the  country.  Tem- 
ples and  other  buildings,  imposing  in  massive  archi- 
tecture, were  reared  of  stone  and  lime.  Armies,  laws, 
and  a  symbolical  form  of  writing  indicated  a  very 
considerable  advance  in  the  arts  and  the  energies  of 
civilization.  Many  of  the  arts  were  cultivated.  Cloth 
was  made  of  cotton,  and  of  skins  nicely  prepared. 
Astronomy  was  sufficiently  understood  for  the  accurate 
measurement  of  time  in  the  divisions  of  the  solar 
year.  It  is  indeed  a  wonder,  as  yet  unexplained, 
where  these  children  of  the  New  World  acquired  so 
philosophical  an  acquaintance  with  the  movements  of 
the  heavenly  bodies.  Agriculture  was  practiced  with 
much  scientific  skill,  and  a  system  of  irrigation  intro- 
duced, from  which  many  a  New  England  farmer 
might  learn  many  a  profitable  lesson.  Mines  of  gold, 
silver,  lead,  and  copper  were  worked.  Many  articles 
of  utility  and  of  exquisite  beauty  were  fabricated  from 
these  metals.  Iron,  the  ore  of  which  must  pass 
through  so   many  processes  before   it  is   prepared  for 


20  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

use,  was  unknown  to  them.  The  Spanish  goldsmiths, 
admiring  the  exquisite  workmanship  of  the  gold  and 
silver  ornaments  of  the  Mexicans,  bowed  to  their  su- 
periority. 

Fairs  were  held  in  the  great  market-places  of  the 
principal  cities  every  fifth  day,  where  buyers  and  sell- 
ers in  vast  numbers  thronged.  They  had  public 
schools,  courts  of  justice,  a  class  of  nobles,  and  a 
powerful  monarch.  The  territory  embraced  by  this 
wonderful  kingdom  was  twice  as  large  as  the  whole 
of  New  England. 

The  code  of  laws  adopted  by  this  strange  people 
was  very  severe.  They  seemed  to  cherish  but  little 
regard  for  human  life,  and  the  almost  universal  pun- 
ishment for  crime  was  death.  This  bloody  code 
secured  a  very  effective  police.  Adultery,  thieving, 
removing  landmarks,  altering  measures,  defrauding  a 
ward  of  property,  intemperance,  and  even  idleness, 
with  spendthrift  habits,  were  punished  pitilessly  with 
death.  The  public  mind  was  so  accustomed  to  this, 
that  death  lost  a  portion  of  its  solemnity.  The  rites 
of  marriage  were  very  formally  enacted,  and  very 
rigidly  adhered  to. 

Prisoners  taken  in  war  were  invariably  slain  upon 
their  religious  altars  in  sacrifice  to  their  gods.  Slavery 
existed  among  them,  but  not  hereditary.  No  one 
could  be  born  a  slave.  The  poor  sometimes  sold 
their   children.      The    system    existed    in    its    mildest 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  MEXICO       21 

possible  form,  as  there  was  no  distinction  of  race  be- 
tween the  master  and  the  slave. 

Military  glory  was  held  in  high  repute.  Fanati- 
cism lent  all  its  allurements  to  inspire  the  soldier. 
Large  armies  were  trained  to  very  considerable  mili- 
tary discipline.  Death  upon  the  battle-field  was  a 
sure  passport  to  the  most  sunny  and  brilliant  realms 
of  the  heavenly  world.  The  soldiers  wore  coats  of 
mail  of  wadded  cotton,  which  neither  arrow  nor  jave- 
lin could  easily  penetrate.  The  chiefs  wore  over 
these  burnished  plates  of  silver  and  of  gold.  Silver 
helmets,  also,  often  glittered  upon  the  head.  Hospi- 
tals were  established  for  the  sick  and  the  wounded. 

Their  religious  system  was  an  incongruous  com- 
pound of  beauty  and  of  deformity  —  of  gentleness  and 
of  ferocity.  They  believed  in  one  supreme  God,  the 
Great  Spirit,  with  several  hundred  inferior  deities. 
The  god  of  war  was  a  very  demon.  The  god  of  the 
air  was  a  refined  deity,  whose  altars  were  embellished 
with  fruits  and  flowers,  and  upon  whose  ear  the 
warbling  of  birds  and  the  most  plaintive  strains  of 
vocal  melody  vibrated  sweetly. 

There  were,  in  their  imaginations,  three  states  of 
existence  in  the  future  world.  The  good,  and  espe- 
cially those,  of  whatever  character,  who  fell  upon  the 
field  of  battle,  soared  to  the  sun,  and  floated  in  aerial 
grace  and  beauty  among  the  clouds,  in  peace  and 
joy,  never  to  be  disturbed.     The  worthless,  indifferent 


ii  '  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

sort  of  people,  neither  good  nor  bad,  found  perhaps  a 
congenial  home  in  the  monotony  of  a  listless  and  al- 
most lifeless  immortality,  devoid  of  joy  or  grief.  The 
wicked  were  imprisoned  in  everlasting  darkness, 
where  they  could  do  no  farther  harm. 

It  is  an  extraordinary  fact  that  the  rite  of  infant 
baptism  existed  among  them.  This  fact  is  attested 
by  the  Spanish  historians,  who  witnessed  it  with 
their  own  eyes,  and  who  have  recorded  the  truly 
Christian  prayers  offered  on  the  occasion.  As  the  in- 
fants were  sprinkled  with  water,  God  was  implored 
to  wash  them  from  original  sin  and  to  create  them 
anew.  Many  of  their  prayers  dimly  reflected  those 
pure  and  ennobling  sentiments  which  shine  so  bril- 
liantly in  the  word  of  God. 

Their  worship  must  have  been  a  costly  one,  as 
the  most  majestic  temples  were  reared,  and  an  army 
of  priests  was  supported.  One  single  temple  in  the 
metropolis  had  five  thousand  priests  attached  to  its 
service.  The  whole  business  of  youthful  instruction 
was  confided  to  the  priests.  They  received  confes- 
sion, and  possessed  the  power  of  absolution. 

The  temples  were  generally  pyramidal  structures 
of  enormous  magnitude.  Upon  the  broad  area  of 
their  summits  an  altar  was  erected,  where  human 
victims,  usually  prisoners  taken  in  war,  were  of- 
fered in  sacrifice.  These  awful  ceremonies  were 
conducted  with  the  most  imposing  pomp   of  music. 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  MEXICO       23 

banners,  and  military  and  ecclesiastical  processions. 
The  victim  offered  in  sacrifice  was  bound  immovably 
to  the  stone  altar.  The  officiating  priest,  with  a 
sharp  instrument  constructed  of  flint-like  lava,  cut 
open  his  breast,  and  tore  out  the  warm  and  palpita- 
ting heart.  This  bloody  sacrifice  was  presented  in 
devout  offering  to  the  god.  At  times  in  the  case  of 
prisoners  taken  in  war,  the  most  horrid  tortures  were 
practiced  before  the  bloody  rite  was  terminated. 
When  the  gods  seemed  to  frown,  in  dearth,  or  pesti- 
lence, or  famine,  large  numbers  of  children  were  fre- 
quently offered  in  sacrifice.  Thus  the  temples  of 
Mexico  were  ever  clotted  with  blood.  Still  more  re- 
volting is  the  well-authenticated  fact  that  the  body  of 
the  wretched  victim  thus  sacrificed  was  often  served 
up  as  a  banquet,  and  was  eaten  with  every  accom- 
paniment of  festive  rejoicing.  It  is  estimated  that 
from  thirty  to  fifty  thousand  thus  perished  every  year 
upon  the  altars  of  ancient  Mexico.  One  of  the  great 
objects  of  their  wars  was  to  obtain  victims  for  their 
gods. 

The  population  of  this  vast  empire  is  not  known. 
It  must  have  consisted,  however,  of  several  millions. 
The  city  of  Mexico,  situated  on  islands  in  the  bosom 
of  a  lake  in  the  center  of  a  spacious  and  magnificent 
valley  of  the  interior,  about  two  hundred  miles  from 
the  coast,  was  the  metropolis  of  the  realm. 

Montezuma  was   king,    an   aristocratic    king,   sur- 


24  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

rounded  by  nobles,  upon  whom  he  conferred  all  the 
honors  and  emoluments  of  the  state.  His  palace  was 
very  magnificent.  He  was  served  from  plates  and 
goblets  of  silver  and  gold.  Six  hundred  feudatory 
nobles  composed  his  daily  retinue,  paying  him  the 
most  obsequious  homage,  and  expecting  the  same 
from  those  beneath  themselves.  Montezuma  claimed 
to  be  lord  of  the  whole  world,  and  exacted  tribute 
from  all  whom  his  arm  could  reach.  His  triumphant 
legions  had  invaded  and  subjugated  many  adjacent 
states,  as  this  %pman  empire  of  the  New  World  ex- 
tended in  all  directions  its  powerful  sway. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  kingdom  of  Mexico, 
in  point  of  civilization,  was  about  on  an  equality  with 
the  Chinese  empire  of  the  present  day.  Its  inhabit- 
ants were  very  decidedly  elevated  above  the  wander- 
ing hordes  of  North  America. 

Montezuma  had  heard  of  the  arrival,  in  the  islands 
of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  of  the  strangers  from  another 
hemisphere.  He  had  heard  of  their  appalling  power, 
their  aggressions,  and  their  pitiless  cruelty.  Wisely 
he  resoived  to  exclude  these  dangerous  visitors  from 
his  shores.  As  exploring  expeditions  entered  his  bays 
and  rivers,  they  were  fiercely  attacked  and  driven, 
away.  These  expeditions,  however,  brought  back  to 
Cuba  most  alluring  accounts  of  the  rich  empire  of 
Mexico  and  of  its  golden  opulence. 

The  Governor  of  Cuba  now  resolved  to  fit  out  an 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  MEXICO       25 

expedition  sufficiently  powerful  to  subjugate  their 
country,  and  make  it  one  of  the  vassals  of  Spain.  It 
was  a  dark  period  of  the  world.  Human  rights  were 
but  feebly  discerned.  Superstition  reigned  over  hearts 
and  consciences  with  a  fearfully  despotic  sway.  Acts, 
upon  which  would  now  fall  the  reproach  of  unmiti- 
gated villainy,  were  then  performed  with  prayers  and 
thanksgivings  honestly  offered.  We  shall  but  tell 
the  impartial  story  of  the  wondrous  career  of  Cortez 
in  the  subjugation  of  this  empire.  God,  the  searcher 
of  all  hearts,  can  alone  unravel  the  mazes  of  consci- 
entiousness and  depravity,  and  award  the  just  meed 
of  approval  and  condemnation. 

Many  good  motives  were  certainly  united  with 
those  more  questionable  which  inspired  this  enter- 
prise. It  was  a  matter  of  national  ambition  to  pro- 
mote geographical  discoveries,  to  enlarge  the  realms 
of  commerce,  and  to  extend  the  boundaries  of  human 
knowledge  by  investigating  the  arts  and  the  sciences 
of  other  nations.  The  Christian  religion —  Heaven's 
greatest  boon  to  man — was  destined,  by  the  clear  an- 
nouncements of  prophecy,  to  fill  the  world;  and  it 
was  deemed  the  duty  of  the  Church  to  extend  these 
triumphs  in  all  possible  ways.  The  importance  of 
the  end  to  be  attained,  it  was  thought,  would  sanc- 
tify even  the  instrumentality  of  violence  and  blood. 
Wealth  and  honors  were  among  the  earthly  rewards 
promised  to  the  faithful. 


36  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

Allowances  must  be  made  for  the  darkness  of  the 
age.  It  is  by  very  slow  and  painful  steps  that  the 
human  mind  has  attained  to  even  its  present  unsteady 
position  in  regard  to  civil  and  religious  rights. 

The  Governor  of  Cuba,  Velasquez,  looked  earnestly 
for  a  man  to  head  this  important  enterprise.  He 
found  just  the  man  for  the  occasion  in  Hernando  Cor- 
tez,  a  fearless,  energetic  Spanish  adventurer,  then  re- 
siding upon  the  island  of  Cuba.  His  early  life  will 
be  found  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Early   Life   of  Cortez. 

Village  of  Medellin. —  Early  character  of  Cortez. —  Hernando  sent  to  Sala- 
manca.—  Life  at  the  university. —  He  turns  soldier. —  Expedition  to  His- 
paniola. —  His  early  love,  and  unfortunate  consequences  attending  it. — 
He  arrives  at  Hispaniola. —  Patronage  of  the  governor. —  I^ife  at  His- 
paniola. —  Cortez's  courage. —  The  island  of  Cuba. —  The  new  governor. — 
The  filibustering  expedition. —  Resistance. —  Hatuey  condemned  to  death. 

—  His  conversation. —  The  colony. —  The  conspiracy. —  Cortez  imprisoned. 

—  He  flees  to  a  church. —  Arrest  and  escape. —  Cortez  is  pardoned. —  His 
marriage. —  Voyage  of  discovery. —  Discoveries.  —  Disasters.  —  Reports 
from  Yucatan. —  Another  expedition. —  It  arrives  at  Mexico. —  Accounts 
from  Montezuma. —  The  golden  hatchets.—  Reports  carried  to  Spain. — 
Cortez  obtains  a  commission. —  His  enthusiasm. —  Mission  and  means. — 
The  governor  alarmed. —  Attempt  to  deprive  Cortez  of  the  command. — 
The  squadron  sails. —  Cortez  and  the  governor. —  St.  Jago  and  Trinidad. 

—  The  standard. —  Providential  gifts.— Orders  to  arrest  Cortez. —  His 
speech. —  The  result. —  Cortez  writes  to  Velasquez. —  The  squadron  pro- 
ceeds to  Cape  Antonio. —  The  armament. —  Personal  appearance  of  Cor- 
tez.—  The  eve  of  departure. —  The  harangue. —  Result  of  the  speech. — 
The  squadron  sails. 

IN  the  interior  of  Spain,  in  the  midst  of  the  som- 
ber mountains  whose  confluent  streams  compose 
the  waters  of  the  Guadiana,  there  reposes  the 
little  village  or  hamlet  of  Medellin.  A  more  secluded 
spot  it  would  be  difficult  to  find.  Four  hundred  and 
twenty  years  ago,  in  the  year  1485,  Hernando  Cortez 
was  born  in  this  place.  His  ancestors  had  enjoyed 
wealth    and   rank.     The   family   was    now   poor,    but 

(27) 


28  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

proud  of  the  Castilian  blood  which  flowed  in  their 
veins.  The  father  of  Hernando  was  a  captain  in  the 
army  —  a  man  of  honorable  character.  Of  his  mother 
but  little  is  known. 

Not  much  has  been  transmitted  to  our  day  re- 
specting the  childhood  of  this  extraordinary  man.  It 
is  reported  that  he  early  developed  a  passion  for  wild 
adventure;  that  he  was  idle  and  wayward;  frank, 
fearless,  and  generous;  that  he  loved  to  explore  the 
streams  and  to  climb  the  cliffs  of  his  mountainous 
home,  and  that  he  ever  appeared  reckless  of  danger. 
He  was  popular  with  his  companions,  for  warm-heart- 
edness and  magnanimity  were  prominent  in  his  char- 
acter. 

His  father,  though  struggling  with  poverty,  cher- 
ished ambitious  views  for  his  son,  and  sent  him  to 
the  celebrated  university  of  Salamanca  for  an  educa- 
tion. He  wished  Hernando  to  avoid  the  perils  and 
temptations  of  the  camp,  and  to  enter  the  honorable 
profession  of  the  law.  Hernando  reluctantly  obeyed 
the  wishes  of  his  father,  and  went  to  the  university. 
But  he  scorned  restraint.  He  despised  all  the  em- 
ployments of  industry,  and  study  was  his  especial 
abhorrence.  Two  years  were  worse  than  wasted  in 
the  university.  Young  Cortez  was  both  indolent  and 
dissipated.  In  all  the  feats  of  mischief  he  was  the 
ringleader,  and  his  books  were  entirely  neglected. 
He  received  many  censures,  and  was  on  the  point  of 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  CORTEZ  29 

being  expelled,  when  his  disappointed  father  with- 
drew the  wayward  boy  from  the  halls  of  the  univer- 
sity, and  took  him  home. 

Hernando  was  now  sixteen  years  of  age.  There 
was  nothing  for  him  to  do  in  the  seclusion  of  his 
native  village  but  to  indulge  in  idleness.  This  he 
did  with  great  diligence.  He  rode  horses;  he  hunted 
and  fished;  he  learned  the  art  of  the  swordsman  and 
played  the  soldier.  Hot  blood  glowed  in  his  veins, 
and  he  became  genteelly  dissolute;  his  pride  would 
never  allow  him  to  stoop  to  vulgarity.  The  father 
was  grief-stricken  by  the  misconduct  of  his  son,  and 
at  last  consented  to  gratify  the  passion  which  in- 
spired him  to  become  a  soldier. 

At  seventeen  years  of  age  the  martial  boy  enlisted 
in  an  expedition,  under  Gonsalvo  de  Cordova,  to  as- 
sist the  Italians  against  the  French.  Young  Cortez, 
to  his  bitter  disappointment,  just  as  the  expedition 
started,  was  taken  seriously  sick,  and  was  obliged  to 
be  left  behind.  Soon  after  this,  one  of  his  relatives 
was  appointed,  by  the  Spanish  crown,  governor  of 
St.  Domingo,  now  called  Hayti,  but  then  called  His- 
paniola,  or  Little  Spain.  This  opening  to  scenes  and 
adventures  in  the  New  World  was  attractive  to  the 
young  cavalier  in  the  highest  possible  degree.  It 
was,  indeed,  an  enterprise  which  might  worthily 
arouse  the  enthusiasm  of  any  mind.  A  large  fleet 
was   equipped  to  convey   nearly   three  thousand   set- 


3o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

tiers  to  found  a  colony  beneath  the  sunny  skies  and 
under  the  orange  groves  of  the  tropics.  Life  there 
seemed  the  elysium  of  the  indolent  man.  Young 
Cortez  now  rejoiced  heartily  over  his  previous  disap- 
pointment. His  whole  soul  was  engrossed  in  the 
contemplation  of  the  wild  and  romantic  adventures 
in  which  he  expected  to  luxuriate.  It  is  not  to  be 
supposed  that  a  lad  of  such  a  temperament  should,  at 
the  age  of  seventeen,  be  a  stranger  to  the  passion  of 
love.  There  was  a  young  lady  in  his  native  village 
for  whom  he  had  formed  a  strong  youthful  attach- 
ment. He  resolved,  with  his  accustomed  ardor  and 
recklessness,  to  secure  an  interview  with  his  lady- 
love, where  parting  words  and  pledges  should  not  be 
witnessed  by  prudent  relatives. 

One  dark  night,  just  before  the  squadron  sailed, 
the  ardent  lover  climbed  a  mouldering  wall  to  reach 
the  window  of  the  young  lady's  chamber.  In  the  ob- 
scurity he  slipped  and  fell,  and  some  heavy  stones 
from  the  crumbling  wall  fell  upon  him.  He  was  con- 
veyed to  his  bed,  severely  wounded  and  helpless. 
The  fleet  sailed,  and  the  young  man,  almost  insane 
with  disappointment  and  chagrin,  was  left  upon  his 
bed  of  pain. 

At  length  he  recovered.  His  father  secured  for  him 
a  passage  to  join  the  colonists  in  another  ship.  He, 
with  exultation,  left  Medellin,  hastened  to  the  sea- 
shore, where  he  embarked,  and  after  an  unusually  ad- 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  CORTEZ  31 

venturous  and  periious  voyage,  he  gazed  with  delight 
upon  the  tropical  vegetation  and  the  new  scenes  of 
life  of  Hispaniola.  It  was  the  year  1 504.  Cortez  was 
then  nineteen  years  of  age. 

The  young  adventurer,  immediately  upon  landing, 
proceeded  to  the  house  of  his  relative,  Governor 
Ovando.  The  governor  happened  to  be  absent,  but 
his  secretary  received   the  young  man  very  cordially. 

"I  have  no  doubt,"  said  he  to  Hernando,  "that 
you  will  receive  a  liberal  grant  of  land  to  cultivate." 

"I  come  to  get  gold,"  Hernando  replied,  haughtily, 
"not  to  till  the  soil  like  a  peasant." 

Ovando,  on  his  return,  took  his  young  relative 
under  his  patronage,  and  assigned  to  him  posts  of 
profit  and  honor.  Still  Cortez  was  very  restless.  His 
impatient  spirit  wearied  of  the  routine  of  daily  duty, 
and  his  imagination  was  ever  busy  in  the  domain  of 
wild  adventure. 

Two  Spaniards  upon  the  island  of  Hispaniola  about 
this  time  planned  an  expedition  for  exploring  the 
main  land,  to  make  discoveries  and  to  select  spots 
for  future  settlements.  Cortez  eagerly  joined  the  en- 
terprise, but  again  was  he  doomed  to  disappointment. 
Just  before  the  vessels  sailed  he  was  seized  by  a 
fever,  and  laid  prostrate  upon  his  bed.  Probably  his 
life  was  thus  saved.  Nearly  all  who  embarked  on 
this  enterprise  perished  by  storm,  disease,  and  the 
poisoned  arrows  of  the  natives. 


31  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

Seven  years  passed  away,  during  which  Cortez  Jed 
an  idle  and  voluptuous  life,  ever  ready  for  any  daring 
adventure  which  might  offer,  and  miserably  attempt- 
ing to  beguile  the  weariness  of  provincial  life  with 
guilty  amours.  He  accepted  a  plantation  from  the 
governor,  which  was  cultivated  by  slaves.  His  purse 
was  thus  ever  well  filled.  Not  unfrequently  he  be- 
came involved  in  duels,  and  he  bore  upon  his  body 
until  death  many  scars  received  in  these  encounters. 
Military  expeditions  were  not  unfrequently  sent  out  to 
quell  the  insurrections  to  which  the  natives  of  the 
island  were  goaded  by  the  injustice  and  the  cruelty 
of  the  Spaniards. 

Cortez  was  always  an  eager  volunteer  for  such 
service  His  courage  and  imperturbable  self-posses- 
sion made  him  an  invaluable  co-operator  in  every  en- 
terprise of  danger.  He  thus  became  acquainted  with 
all  the  artifices  of  Indian  warfare,  and  inured  himself 
to  the  toil  and  privations  of  forest  life. 

In  the  year  1492  the  magnificent  island  of  Cuba, 
but  a  few  leagues  from  Hispaniola,  had  been  dis- 
covered by  Columbus.  As  he  approached  the  land, 
the  grandeur  of  the  mountains,  the  wide  sweep  of 
the  valleys,  the  stately  forests,  the  noble  rivers,  the 
bold  promontories  and  headlands,  melting  away  in  the 
blue  of  the  hazy  distance,  impressed  him  with  un- 
bounded admiration.  As  he  sailed  up  one  of  the 
beautiful  rivers  of  crystal  clearness,  fringed  with  flow- 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  CORTEZ  33 

ers,  and  aromatic  shrubs,  and  tropical  fruits,  while  the 
overhanging  trees  were  vocal  with  the  melody  of 
birds  of  every  variety  of  song  and  plumage,  enraptured 
he  exclaimed, 

"Cuba!  It  is  the  most  beautiful  island  that  eyes 
ever  beheld.  It  is  an  elysium.  One  could  live  there 
forever." 

The  natives  of  the  favored  land  were  amiable 
and  friendly.  The  Spaniards  did  not  for  several  years 
encroach  upon  their  rights,  and  no  Spanish  colony 
was  established  upon  their  enchanting  shores.  It  was 
now  the  year  151 1.  Nineteen  years  had  elapsed  since 
the  discovery  of  the  island.  Ovando  had  been  re- 
called, and  Diego  Columbus,  the  son  of  Christopher, 
had  been  appointed,  in  his  stead,  governor  of  Hispan- 
iola.  He  took  the  title  of  Viceroy,  and  assumed  all 
the  splendors  of  royalty.  Diego  Columbus  devoutly 
decided  that  it  was  manifest  destiny  that  Cuba  should 
belong  to. Spain.  He  organized  a  filibustering  expe- 
dition to  wrest  from  the  natives  their  beautiful  island. 
The  command  of  the  expedition  was  intrusted  to 
Don  Velasquez,  a  bold  adventurer,  of  much  notoriety, 
from  Spain,  who  had  been  residing  for  many  years  at 
Hispaniola,  and  who  had  been  lieutenant  under  Gov- 
ernor Ovando.  A  foray  of  this  kind  would,  of  course, 
excite  the  patriotic  zeal  of  every  vagabond.  Cortez 
was  one  of  the  first  to  hasten  to  the  standard  of  Ve- 
lasquez.    The  natives  of  the  island,  unarmed  and  vo- 

M.  of  H.— xv— 3 


34  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

luptuous,  made  hardly  the  shadow  of  resistance,  and 
three  hundred  Spanish  adventurers,  with  but  a  slight 
struggle,  took  possession  of  this  magnificent  domain. 
The  reputation  and  ability  of  Cortez  gave  him  a 
prominent  position  in  this  adventure. 

One  brave  and  patriotic  Indian  chief,  who  had  fled 
from  the  outrages  perpetrated  at  Hispaniola,  urged 
the  Cubans  to  repel  the  invaders.  Though  unable  to 
rouse  in  a  mass  the  peace-loving  islanders,  he  gath- 
ered a  small  band  around  him,,  and  valiantly  con- 
tended to  resist  the  landing.  His  efforts  were  quite 
unavailing.  Gunpowder  soon  triumphed.  The  In- 
dians were  speedily  put  to  flight,  and  the  chieftain 
Hatuey  was  taken  prisoner. 

Velasquez  ignobly  and  cruelly  condemned  the  he- 
roic patriot  to  be  burned  alive;  but  religiously  the 
fanatic  invader  wished,  though  he  burned  the  body, 
to  save  the  soul.  A  priest  was  appointed  to  labor  for 
the  conversion  of  the  victim. 

"If  you  will  embrace  our  religion,"  said  the  priest, 
"as  soon  as  the  fire  has  consumed  your  body,  you 
will  enter  heaven,  and  be  happy  there  forever." 

"Are  there  Spaniards,"  inquired  Hatuey,  "in  that 
happy  place  of  which  you  speak?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  priest;  "such  as  are  holy." 

"Then  I  will  not  go  there!"  Hatuey  energetically 
rejoined.  "I  will  never  go  to  a  place  where  I  shall 
meet  one  of  that  cruel  people." 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  CORTEZ  35 

The  poor  Indian  was  burned  to  ashes.  The  na- 
tives gazed  upon  the  spectacle  with  horror.  They 
were  appalled,  and  ventured  to  make  no  further  re- 
sistance to  their  terrible  conquerors. 

Such  is  Spain's  title-deed  to  the  island  of  Cuba. 
God  has  not  smiled  upon  regions  thus  infamously 
v/on.  May  the  United  States  take  warning  that  all 
her  possessions  may  be  honorably  acquired.  "God 
helps,"  says  blind  unbelief,  "the  heavy  battalions;" 
but  experience  has  fully  proved  that  "the  race  is  not 
always  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong." 

One  or  two  colonies  were  soon  established  upon 
the  conquered  island.  They  grew  very  rapidly.  Ve- 
lasquez was  appointed  governor;  Cortez  was  his  sec- 
retary. 

Many  families  were  enticed  from  Spain  by  the 
charms  of  this  most  beautiful  of  the  isles  of  the  ocean. 
A  gentleman  came  from  old  Castile  with  four  beau- 
tiful daughters.  Velasquez  became  attached  to  one; 
Cortez  trifled  grievously  with  the  affections  of  another. 
The  governor  reproached  him  for  his  infamous  con- 
duct. The  proud  spirit  of  Cortez  could  not  brook 
reproof,  and  he  entered  into  a  conspiracy  to  proffer 
complaints  against  the  governor,  and  to  secure  his 
removal.     It   was  a  bold   and  a  perilous   undertaking. 

Cortez  prepared  to  embark  in  an  open  boat,  and 
push  out  fearlessly  but  secretly  into  the  open  sea,  to 
make   a  voyage   of  nearly  sixty  miles   to   Hispaniola. 


36  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

There  he  was  to  enter  his  complaints  to  Diego  Co- 
lumbus. The  conspiracy  was  detected  upon  the  eve 
of  its  execution.  Cortez  was  arrested,  manacled, 
thrown  into  prison,  and  was,  after  trial,  sentenced  to 
death  for  treason.  He,  however,  succeeded  in  break- 
ing his  fetters,  forced  open  his  prison  window,  and 
dropped  himself  down,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
from  the  second  story,  and  escaped  to  the  sanctuary 
of  a  neighboring  church.  Such  a  sanctuary,  in  that 
day,  could  not  be  violated. 

A  guard  was  secreted  to  watch  him.  He  remained 
in  the  church  for  several  days.  But  at  length  im- 
patience triumphed  over  prudence,  and,  as  he  attempted 
one  night  to  escape,  he  was  again  arrested,  more 
strongly  chained,  and  was  placed  on  board  a  ship  to 
be  sent  to  Hispaniola  for  execution. 

The  code  of  Spanish  law  was  in  that  day  a  bloody 
one.  Spanish  governors  were  almost  unlimited  des- 
pots. Cortez  was  not  willing  to  go  to  Hispaniola 
with  the  cord  of  a  convicted  traitor  about  his  neck. 
With  extraordinary  fortitude,  he  drew  his  feet,  man- 
gling them  sadly,  through  the  irons  which  shackled 
them.  Creeping  cautiously  upon  deck,  he  let  himself 
down  softly  into  the  water,  swam  to  the  shore,  and, 
half  dead  with  pain  and  exhaustion,  attained  again 
the  sanctuary  of  the  church. 

He  now  consented  to  marry  the  young  lady  with 
whose  affections  and  reputation  he  had  so  cruelly  tri- 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  CORTEZ  37 

fled.  The  family,  of  course,  espoused  his  cause.  The 
governor,  who  was  the  lover  of  her  sister,  regarded 
this  as  the  amende  honorable,  and  again  received  the 
hot-blooded  cavalier  to  his  confidence.  Thus  this 
black  and  threatening  cloud  suddenly  disappeared,  and 
sunshine  and  calm  succeeded  the  storm.  Cortez  re- 
turned to  his  estates  with  his  bride  a  wiser,  and  perhaps 
a  better  man,  from  the  severe  discipline  through  which 
he  had  passed.  Catalina  Suarez,  whom  he  married, 
was  an  amiable  and  beautiful  lady  of  very  estimable 
character.  She  eventually  quite  won  the  love  of  her 
wayward  and  fickle  husband. 

"I  lived  as  happily  with  her,"  said  the  haughty 
Castilian,  "as  if  she  had  been  the  daughter  of  a 
duchess." 

Velasquez,  like  every  other  Spanish  governor  at 
that  time,  was  ambitious  of  extending  his  dominions. 
In  the  year  15 17,  a  number  of  restless  spirits,  under 
his  patronage,  resolved  to  sail  upon  a  voyage  of  dis- 
covery and  conquest. 

Three  vessels  were  fitted  out  for  this  adventure. 
One  hundred  and  ten  men  embarked  in  the  enterprise, 
under  the  command  of  Francisco  Hernandez,  of  Cor- 
dova. Velasquez  directed  them  to  land  upon  some 
neighboring  islands,  and  seize  a  number  of  inhabitants, 
and  make  slaves  of  them,  to  pay  the  cost  of  the  ex- 
pedition. "But  when  the  proposal,"  says  one  of  the 
party,  "  was  made  known  to  the  soldiers,  we  to  a 


3*  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

man  refused  it,  saying  that  it  was  not  just,  nor 
did  God  or  the  king  permit  that  free  men  should 
be  made  slaves.  That  our  expedition,"  the  same 
writer  continues,  "might  be  conducted  on  proper 
principles,  we  persuaded  a  clergyman  to  accompany 
us."  In  fervent  prayer,  commending  themselves  to 
God  and  the  Virgin,  they  unfurled  their  sails,  and 
steered  resolutely  toward  the  setting  sun.  They  dis- 
covered the  island  of  Cozumel  and  the  vast  promontory 
of  Yucatan.*  The  expedition,  however,  encountered 
many  disasters.  The  natives  assailed  them  fiercely. 
At  length  the  shattered  ships  returned,  having  lost 
seventy  men,  and  bringing  with  them  quite  a  number 
bleeding  and  dying.  Cordova  died  of  his  wounds  ten 
days  after  arriving  at  Havana. 

The  tidings,  however,  of  the  magnificent  discov- 
ery, and  the  fabulous  report  that  the  country  was 
rich  in  gold,  incited  Velasquez  to  fit  out  a  second  ex- 
pedition of  four  ships,  under  the  command  of  Juan 
de  Grijalva.  Two  hundred  and  forty  adventurers  em- 
barked in  the  enterprise.  On  the  5th  day  of  April, 
1 5 18,  after  having  devoutly  partaken  of  the  sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  anchors  were  lifted,  and  the 
little    squadron    sailed    from    the    port    of    Matanzas. 


*  Yuca  is  the  Indian  name  of  the  plant  used  for  bread.  The  heap 
of  earth  in  which  it  is  planted  is  called  tule.  The  two  words  re- 
peated together  make  Yucatul,  or  Yucatan  as  it  was  expressed  by  the 
Spaniards. —  Bernal  Diaz,  p.    no. 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  CORTEZ  39 

Eight  days  brought  them  to  Cozumel.  They  then 
passed  over  to  the  continent,  and  coasted  along  the 
shore  for  many  leagues  to  the  north  and  west.  They 
made  frequent  attempts  to  land  and  open  intercourse 
With  the  natives,  but  they  were  invariably  attacked 
With  the  utmost  determination.  Though  the  Span- 
iards were  generally  victorious  in  these  conflicts,  they 
lost  several  men,  and  very  many  were  sorely  wounded. 
At  length  they  arrived  upon  the  coast  of  Mexico,  and 
landed  at  the  point  now  called  St.  Juan  de  Ulua. 
Here  they  were  kindly  received  by  the  natives,  and 
acquired  considerable  gold  in  exchange  for  glass  beads. 
They  also  obtained  vague  information  of  the  great 
monarch  Montezuma,  and  of  the  extent  and  power 
of  his  realms.  Greatly  elated  with  this  success,  Gri- 
jalva  sent  one  of  his  vessels  back  to  Cuba  with  speci- 
mens of  the  goid,  and  with  most  glowing  accounts 
of  the  grandeur,  wealth,  and  power  of  the  newly-dis- 
covered empire  of  Mexico.  To  their  extreme  delight, 
the  voyagers  found  that  the  natives  had  hatchets  ap- 
parently of  solid  burnished  gold.  The  excitement  was 
intense  on  board  the  ships.  Six  hundred  of  these 
hatchets  were  eagerly  bought.  At  length  the  expe- 
dition returned  to  Cuba.  The  six  hundred  golden 
hatchets  were  triumphantly  displayed,  when,  to  the 
unutterable  chagrin  of  their  possessors,  they  proved 
to  be  but  copper.  The  disappointed  adventurers  were 
overwhelmed  with  ridicule.     "There  was  much  laugh- 


4o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

ter,"  says  Diaz,  who  accompanied  the  expedition, 
"when  the  six  hundred  hatchets  were  produced  and 
-assayed." 

The  tidings  of  the  discovery  of  Mexico  spread, 
however,  like  wildfire  over  the  island  of  Cuba.  Every 
bosom  which  could  be  moved  by  avarice  or  by  the 
love  of  adventure  was  intensely  excited.  Velasquez 
promptly  dispatched  the  welcome  intelligence  to 
Spain,  and  immediately  commenced  fitting  out  an- 
other expedition  upon  a  scale  of  grandeur  hitherto 
unattempted.  No  one  heard  these  tidings  with  such 
a  thrill  of  emotion  as  Hernando  Cortez.  Though  en- 
joying a  rich  estate,  his  extravagance  had  involved 
him  in  debt  and  distress.  To  retrieve  his  ruined  for- 
tunes, and  to  gratify  his  insatiable  love  of  adventure, 
he  resolved  to  leave  no  efforts  untried  to  secure  for 
himself  the  command  of  the  expedition. 

He  bribed  some  of  the  powerful  friends  of  the 
governor  to  advocate  his  cause,  promising  them  a 
rich  share  of  the  booty  which  he  hoped  to  obtain. 
He  also  offered  to  contribute  largely  of  his  own 
wealth  to  fit  out  the  naval  armament. 

It  was  manifest  to  all  that  there  could  not  be  a 
man  better  adapted  to  fill  such  a  post  than  Hernando 
Cortez.  The  governor  was  well  instructed  in  his  en- 
ergy, capacity,  and  courage.  But  he  feared  these 
traits  of  character.  He  wished  for  a  man  who  would 
,act  as   his   agent,    who   would    be   submissive  to   his 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  CORTEZ  41 

authority,  and  who  would  transfer  the  glory  of  suc- 
cessful achievement  to  his  name.  But  Cortez  was  a 
man  to  lead,  not  to  be  led.  The  governor  hesitated. 
At  last  he  yielded  to  the  powerful  considerations 
which  were  pressed  upon  him,  and  publicly  an- 
nounced Cortez  as  captain  general  of  the  armada. 

As  soon  as  Cortez  received  this  commission,  all 
the  glowing  enthusiasm  and  tremendous  energy  of 
his  nature  were  roused  and  concentrated  upon  this 
one  magnificent  object.  His  whole  character  seemed 
suddenly  to  experience  a  total  change.  He  became 
serious,  earnest,  thoughtful.  Mighty  destinies  were  in 
his  hands.  Deeds  were  to  be  accomplished  at  which 
the  world  was  to  marvel.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  for 
the  heart  of  man  is  an  inexplicable  enigma,  religion, 
perhaps  we  should  say  religious  fanaticism,  mingled 
the  elements  of  her  mystic  power  in  the  motives 
which  inspired  the  soul  of  this  extraordinary  man. 
He  was  to  march  the  apostle  of  Christianity  to  over- 
throw the  idols  in  the  halls  of  Montezuma,  and  there 
to  rear  the  cross  of  Christ.  It  was  his  heavenly  mis- 
sion to  convert  the  benighted  Indians  to  the  religion 
of  Jesus.  With  the  energies  of  fire  and  sword,  mis- 
ery and  blood,  horses  rushing  to  the  charge  and 
death-dealing  artillery,  he  was  to  lead  back  the  wan- 
dering victims  of  darkness  and  sin  to  those  paths  of 
piety  which  guide  to  heaven. 

Such  was  Hernando   Cortez.      Let   Philosophy  ex- 


42  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

plain  the  enigma  as  she  may,  no  intelligent  man  will 
venture  the  assertion  that  Cortez  was  a  hypocrite. 
He  was  a  frank,  fearless,  deluded  enthusiast. 

Governor  Velasquez  soon  became  alarmed  in  view 
of  the  independent  energy  with  which  Cortez  pressed 
forward  the  enterprise.  It  was  quite  evident  that  the 
bold  adventurer  would  regard  no  instructions,  and 
that,  having  acquired  wealth  and  fame,  he  would, 
with  his  commanding  genius,  become  a  formidable 
rival.  Velasquez  therefore  determined,  before  it  should 
be  too  late,  to  deprive  Cortez  of  the  command.  But 
it  was  already  too  late.  The  energetic  captain  re- 
ceived from  a  friend  an  intimation  of  his  peril.  With 
the  decision  which  marked  his  character,  he  that  very 
night,  though  the  vessels  were  not  prepared  for  sea, 
and  the  complement  of  men  was  not  yet  mustered, 
resolved  secretly  to  weigh  anchor. 

The  moment  the  sun  went  down  he  called  upon 
his  officers  and  informed  them  of  his  purpose.  Every 
man  was  instantly  and  silently  in  motion.  At  mid- 
night the  little  squadron,  with  all  on  board,  dropped 
down  the  bay.  Intelligence  was  promptly  conveyed 
to  the  governor  of  this  sudden  and  unexpected  de- 
parture. Mounting  his  horse,  he  galloped  to  a  point 
of  the  shore  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  fleet 
at  anchor  in  the  roadstead.  Cortez,  from  the  deck  of 
his  ship,  saw  the  governor  upon  the  beach  surrounded 
by  his  retinue.     He   entered   a   boat   and  was   rowed 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  CORTEZ  43 

near  to  the  shore.  The  governor  reproached  Cortez 
bitterly  for  his  conduct. 

"Pardon  me,"  said  the  captain,  courteously;  "time 
presses,  and  there  are  some  things  which  should  be 
done  before  they  are  even  thought  of." 

Then,  with  Castilian  grace,  waving  an  adieu  to 
the  governor,  he  returned  to  his  ship.  The  anchors 
were  immediately  raised,  the  sails  spread,  and  the 
little  fleet,  the  renown  of  whose  extraordinary  achieve- 
ments was  to  fill  the  world,  was  wafted  from  the 
harbor  of  St.  Jago,  and  soon  disappeared  in  the  dis- 
tant horizon  of  the  sea. 

St.  Jago  was  then  the  capital  of  Cuba.  Cortez 
directed  his  course  to  Mocaca,  about  thirty  miles  dis- 
tant. Hastily  collecting  such  additional  stores  as  the 
place  would  afford,  he  again  weighed  anchor  and 
proceeded  to  Trinidad.  This  was  an  important  town 
on  the  southern  shore  of  the  island.  Here  he  landed, 
raised  his  banner,  and,  with  alluring  promises,  invited 
volunteers  to  join  the  expedition.  He  marshaled  and 
drilled  his  men,  collected  military  supplies,  and,  more 
than  all,  by  the  charms  of  his  daily  intercourse  secured 
the  enthusiastic  devotion  of  his  followers. 

His  men  were  armed  with  cross-bows  and  mus- 
kets, and  he  had  several  small  cannon.  Jackets, 
thickly  wadded  with  cotton,  were  provided  as  coats 
of  mail  for  the  soldiers,  which  were  a  great  protec- 
tion against  the  missiles  of  the   natives.     Neither   ar- 


44  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

row  nor  javelin  couid  pierce  them.  A  black  velvet 
banner,  embroidered  with  gold,  and  emblazoned  with 
a  cross,  bore  the  characteristic  device, 

"Let  us  follow  the  cross.  Under  this  sign,  with 
faith,  we  conquer." 

Beneath  such  a  standard  did  these  stern  men 
march  upon  an  expedition  of  wanton  aggression, 
crime,  and  woe. 

A  trading  vessel  appeared  off  the  coast,  laden  with 
provisions  and  valuable  merchandise.  It  was  a  prov- 
idential gift  of  exactly  that  which  the  adventurers 
needed.  Cortez,  with  gratitude  to  God,  seized  both 
ship  and  cargo,  and  by  his  peculiar  powers  of  moral 
suasion  induced  the  captain  and  most  of  the  crew  to 
enlist  in  his  service.  Another  ship  made  its  appear- 
ance; it  was  a  renewed  token  of  God's  kindness  to 
his  servants;  it  was  received  with  alacrity.  What- 
ever remonstrances  the  owners  might  raise  were 
drowned  in  thanksgivings  and  praises.  Every  move- 
ment of  the  expedition  was  inspired  by  the  fanatical 
spirit' of  the  Crusades. 

Cortez  now,  with  his  force  much  strengthened, 
sailed  around  the  western  point  of  the  island  to  Ha- 
vana. With  renewed  diligence,  he  here  resumed  his 
labor  of  beating  up  recruits  and  of  augmenting  his 
stores.  Governor  Velasquez,  informed  of  his  arrival 
at  this  port,  dispatched  orders  to  Pedro  Barba,  com- 
mander  at    Havana,    to    arrest    Cortez    and   seize    the 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  CORTEZ  45 

fleet.  But  it  was  much  easier  to  issue  this  order  than 
to  execute  it.  Cortez  was  now  too  strong  to  be  ap- 
prehended by  any  force  which  Barba  had  at  his  com- 
mand. Cortez  received  from  a  friend  an  intimation  of 
the  order  for  his  arrest  which  had  been  received  from 
the  governor. 

He  assembled  his  bold  followers  around  him; 
made  a  rousing  speech,  full  of  eloquence  and  of  the 
peculiar  piety  then  in  vogue;  painted  in  glowing 
colors  the  wealth  and  the  renown  opening  before 
them  in  the  vast  realms  of  Mexico;  and  then  por- 
trayed, with  biting  sarcasm,  the  jealousy  and  the 
meanness  of  Velasquez,  who  wished  to  deprive  him 
of  the  command  of  the  enterprise. 

The  speech  was  convincing.  His  tumultuary  fol- 
lowers threw  up  their  hats  and  filled  the  air  with 
acclamations.  They  declared  that  they  would  ac- 
knowledge Cortez,  and  Cortez  only,  as  their  leader; 
that  they  would  follow  him  wherever  he  might  guide; 
that  they  would  defend  him  with  their  lives,  and  that 
they  would  wreak  unsparing  vengeance  upon  any 
enemies  who  should  attempt  to  molest  him  in  his 
glorious  career.  This  was  the  efficient  reply  which 
Cortez  made  to  the  order  for  his  arrest. 

The  reply  was  not  lost  upon  Barba.  He  perceived 
that  it  would  be  folly  to  attempt  to  execute  the  com- 
mand of  the  governor.  He  wrote,  to  him  accordingly, 
stating    the   impracticability  of  the    attempt.     In  fact, 


46  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

Barba  had  no  disposition  to  arrest  Cortez.  He  had 
become  strongly  attached  to  the  bold  and  earnest  cap- 
tain. Cortez  himself  also  wrote  a  very  courteous  let- 
ter to  the  governor,  with  studied  politeness  informing 
him  that,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  he  should  sail  the 
next  day,  and  assuring  the  governor  of  eternal  devo- 
tion to  his  interest.  As  there  was  some  danger  that 
Velasquez  might  send  from  St.  Jago  a  force  sufficiently 
strong  to  cause  some  embarrassment,  the  little  squad- 
ron the  next  morning  weighed  anchor  and  proceeded 
to  Cape  Antonio,  an  appointed  place  of  rendezvous 
on  the  extreme  western  termination  of  the  island. 

Here  Cortez  completed  his  preparations  and  col- 
lected all  the  force  he  desired.  He  had  now  eleven 
vessels.  The  largest  was  of  but  one  hundred  tons. 
Three  were  of  but  seventy  tons,  and  the  rest  were 
open  barks.  His  whole  force  consisted  of  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  seamen,  five  hundred  and  fifty-three 
soldiers,  two  hundred  Indians,  and  a  few  Indian 
women  for  menial  service.  His  regular  soldiers  con- 
sisted of  sixteen  horsemen,  thirty  musketeers,  and 
thirty-two  cross-bowmen.  He  had  also,  as  the  most 
formidable  part  of  his  armament,  fourteen  pieces  of 
artillery,  with  an  ample  supply  of  ammunition.  AH 
the  soldiers,  excepting  the  musketeers  and  the  bow- 
men, were  armed  simply  with  swords  and  spears. 
Sixteen  horses  formed  also  an  exceedingly  important 
part  of  the   physical   force  of  the  army.     This    noble 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  CORTEZ  47 

animal  had  never  yet  been  seen  on  the  continent  of 
America.  With  great  difficulty,  a  few  had  been  trans- 
ported across  the  ocean  from  Spain.  With  such  a 
force  this  enthusiastic  adventurer  undertook  the  sub- 
jugation of  a  nation  of  many  millions. 

Cortez  was  now  thirty-three  years  of  age.  He  was 
a  handsome,  well-formed  man,  of  medium  stature, 
of  pale,  intellectual  features,  with  a  piercing,  dark  eye, 
and  frank  and  winning  manners.  He  was  temperate, 
indifferent  respecting  all  personal  comforts,  and  reck- 
less of  hardship  and  peril.  He  fully  appreciated  the 
influence  of  dress,  and  ever  appeared  in  the  rich  garb 
of  a  Spanish  gentleman.  He  was  courtly  yet  frank  in 
his  manners,  and  possessed  a  peculiar  power  of  attract- 
ing to  his  person  all  who  approached  him. 

On  the  eve  of  his  departure  from  Cape  Antonio, 
he  again  assembled  his  followers  around  him,  and  thus 
harangued  them: 

"The  enterprise  in  which  you  are  engaged  will  fill 
the  world  with  your  renown.  I  am  leading  you  to 
countries  more  vast  and  opulent  than  European  eyes 
have  ever  yet  beheld.  It  is  a  glorious  prize  which  I 
present  to  you.  But  this  prize  can  only  be  won  by 
hardship  and  toil.  Great  deeds  are  only  achieved  by 
great  exertions.  Glory  is  never  the  reward  of  sloth. 
I  have  labored  hard  and  staked  my  all  on  this  under- 
taking, for  I  love  that  renown  which  is  the  noblest 
recompense  of  man. 


48  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

"Do  you  covet  riches  more?  Be  true  to  me,  and 
I  wili  make  you  masters  of  wealth  of  which  you  have 
never  dreamed.  You  are  few  in  numbers,  but  be 
strong  in  resolution,  and  doubt  not  that  the  Almighty, 
who  has  never  deserted  the  Spaniard  in  his  contest 
with  the  infidel,  will  shield  you,  though  encompassed 
by  enemies.  Your  cause  is  just.  You  are  to  fight 
under  the  banner  of  the  cross.  Onward,  then,  with 
alacrity.  Gloriously  terminate  the  work  so  auspi- 
ciously begun." 

This  speech  was  received  with  tumultuous  cheers. 
Mass  was  then  celebrated  by  the  ecclesiastics  who  ac- 
companied the  fleet,  and  with  many  religious  cere- 
monies the  squadron  was  placed  under  the  protection 
of  St.  Peter.  The  anchors  were  raised,  the  sails  were 
spread,  and  a  favoring  breeze  pressed  them  rapidly 
over  the  waves  toward  the  setting  sun.  It  was  the 
1 8th  of  February,   15 19. 


CHAPTER   III. 

The  Voyage  to  Mexico. 

The  voyage. —  They  reach  the  island  of  Cozumel. —  Treasures  seized. —  The 
island  and  its  inhabitants. —  Exploring  parties  to  the  main  land. —  Mis- 
sionary labors.— The  first  mass. —  Miraculous  conversions. —  Return  of 
the  exploring  party. —  Arrival  of  Aguilar. —  History  of  Aguilar's  life  at 
Yucatan. —  Escape  and  capture. —  Guerrero  takes  to  savage  life. —  Escape. 

—  Guerrero  remains  with  the  savages. —  Squadron  again  sails. — They  en- 
ter the  Tabasco. —  They  ascend  the  river. —  Landing  postponed. —  En- 
campment.—  Preparation  for  the  conflict. —  The  reception. —  The  battle. 

—  The  charge. —  Victory. —  March  to  Tabasco. —  Possession  taken  of  the 
town. —  Gathering  of  the  natives. —  The  two  armies  meet. —  The  conflict. 

—  The  cavalry  charge. —  Terror  of  the  natives. —  The  flight. —  Estimates 
of  the  number  killed. —  The  declaration. —  The  natives  submissive. —  The 
new  religion. —  St.  Mary  of  Victory. —  Motives  which  actuated  the  adven- 
turers.—  Christian  instruction. —  Principle  and  practice. —  The  altar. — 
Devotions. —  Baptism. —  The  presents. —  Marina. —  Indulgences. —  Charac- 
ter of  Marina. —  Her  career. —  Her  devotion  to  Cortez. —  Departure  from 
Tabasco. —  Blessings  left  behind. —  They  coast  along  the  shore. —  Arrival 
at  San  Juan  de  Ulua. 

Light  and  variable  winds  retarded  the  progress  of 
the  squadron  as  it  was  headed  in  a  south- 
westerly direction  toward  the  shores  of  Yuca- 
tan. A  terrible  tempest  succeeded,  and  the  ships 
were  driven  wildly  before  the  storm.  But  after  the 
lapse  of  about  a  week,  as  the  storm  abated,  they 
were  cheered  by  the  sight  of  land.  The  mountains 
of  the  island  of  Cozumel  rose  towering  before  them. 
This  large  island   is  separated   from   the  main   land  of 

M.  ofH— XV— 4  (49) 


5o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

Yucatan  by  a  channel  of  from  twelve  to  thirty  miles 
in  width. 

When  the  natives  saw  the  ships  approaching,  they 
fled  from  the  shores  in  terror.  Such  a  fleet  must 
have,  indeed,  presented  to  the  artless  inhabitants  an 
appalling  spectacle.  The  squadron  cast  anchor  in  a 
spacious  bay,  and  those  who  first  arrived  were  the 
first  to  land.  The  captain  of  one  of  the  vessels,  with 
some  of  his  crew,  entered  one  of  the  native  temples, 
and,  seeing  the  idol  decorated  with  gold,  seized  the 
treasure  promptly  as  lawful  prize,  and  also  captured 
two  or  three  of  the  natives.  Cortez  was  indignant  at 
conduct  so  rash  and  impolitic.  He  severely  rebuked 
the  over-zealous  captain,  ordered  the  ornaments  to  be 
replaced,  and  liberated  the  captives  and  loaded  them 
with  presents.  He  thus  appeased  the  fears  of  the  na- 
tives, and  induced  them  to  return  to  their  dwellings. 
They  soon  became  quite  reconciled  to  the  strangers, 
and  opened  with  them  a  lucrative  traffic.  The  island 
was  not  very  fertile,  and  was  thinly  inhabited;  but 
the  natives  had  large  and  comfortable  houses,  built  of 
stone  cemented  with  mortar.  There  were  several 
spacious  temples,  with  lofty  towers,  constructed  of 
the  same  durable  materials.  The  adventurers  were 
also  exceedingly  surprised  to  find  in  the  court-yard  of 
one  of  the  temples  an  idol  in  the  form  of  a  massive 
stone  cross.  It  was  erected  in  honor  of  the  god  of 
rain.     It  is,  indeed,  a  curious  question,  and  one  which 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  MEXICO  51 

probably  will  never  be  answered,  how  the  natives  of 
this  new  world  obtained  those  apparently  shadowy 
ideas  of  Christianity.  They  certainly  performed  the 
rite  of  baptism.  The  cross  was  one  of  their  idols. 
They  also  believed  in  original  sin,  which  was  to  be 
in  some  way  removed  by  sprinkling  an  infant  with 
water. 

Cortez  remained  upon  this  island  about  a  fortnight. 
During  this  time  all  his  energies  were  engrossed  in 
accomplishing  the  great  object  of  his  mission.  He 
sent  two  vessels  to  the  main  land  to  make  inquiries 
about  some  Spaniards,  who,  it  was  reported,  had  been 
shipwrecked  upon  the  coast,  and  were  still  lingering 
in  captivity.  The  captain  in  command  of  this  expe- 
dition was  instructed  to  return  within  eight  days. 
Several  parties  were  also  sent  in  various  directions  to 
explore  the  island  thoroughly  and  ascertain  its  re- 
sources. 

But  one  of  the  most  important  objects,  in  the  esti- 
mation of  Cortez,  to  be  accomplished,  was  the  con- 
version of  the  natives  to  the  Catholic  religion.  He 
had  with  him  several  ecclesiastics  —  men  whose  sin- 
cerity no  candid  man  can  doubt.  The  Indians  were 
assembled,  and  urged,  through  an  interpreter,  to 
abandon  their  idols  and  turn  to  the  living  God.  The 
simple  natives  understood  but  little  of  the  harangue, 
except  the  injunction  to  destroy  their  idols.  At  this 
suggestion  they  were  horror-stricken.      They  assured 


52  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

Cortez  that  were  they  to  harm  or  insult  their  gods, 
destruction  in  every  awful  form  would  immediately 
overwhelm  them. 

The  bold  warrior  wielded  bold  arguments.  His 
logic  was  truly  military.  With  his  mailed  cavaliers  he 
made  a  prompt  onslaught  upon  the  idols,  hewed  them 
down,  smashed  them  to  pieces,  and  tumbled  the 
dishonored  and  mutilated  fragments  into  the  streets. 
He  then  constructed  a  Christian  altar,  reared  a  cross 
and  an  image  of  the  holy  Virgin  and  the  holy  child, 
and  mass,  with  all  its  pomp  of  robes,  and  chants, 
and  incense,  was  for  the  first  time  performed  in  the 
temples  of  Yucatan. 

The  natives  were  at  first  overwhelmed  with  grief 
and  terror  as  they  gazed  upon  their  prostrate  deities. 
But  no  earthquake  shook  the  island;  no  lightning  sped 
its  angry  bolt;  no  thunder  broke  down  the  skies. 
The  sun  still  shone  tranquilly,  and  ocean,  earth,  and 
sky  smiled  untroubled.  The  natives  ceased  to  fear 
gods  who  could  not  protect  themselves,  and  without 
further  argument  consented  to  exchange  their  ungainly 
idols  for  the  far  prettier  idols  of  the  strangers.  The 
heart  of  Cortez  throbbed  with  enthusiasm  and  pride 
as  he  contemplated  his  great  and  glorious  achieve- 
ment—  an  achievement,  in  his  view,  unparalled  by 
the  miracles  of  Peter  or  of  Paul.  In  one  short  fort- 
night he  had  converted  these  islanders  from  the  serv- 
tee  of  Satan,  and   had  won  them  to  that   faith  which 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  MEXICO  53 

would  secure  their  eternal  salvation.  The  fanatic  sin- 
cerity with  which  this  deed  was  accomplished  does 
not  redeem  it  from  the  sublimity  of  absurdity.  Faith, 
said  these  mailed  theologians,  saves  the  soul;  and 
these  pagans  have  now  turned  from  their  idols  to  the 
living  God.  It  is  true  that  man  is  saved  by  faith,  but 
it  is  that  faith  which  works  by  love. 

In  the  mean  time  the  parties  returned  from  the 
exploration  of  the  island,  and  Orday  brought  back  his 
two  ships  from  the  main  land.  He  was  unsuccessful 
in  his  attempts  to  find  the  shipwrecked  Spaniards. 
Cortez  had  now  been  at  Cozumel  a  fortnight.  As 
he  was  on  the  point  of  taking  his  departure,  a  frail 
canoe  was  seen  crossing  the  strait,  with  three  men 
in  it,  apparently  Indians,  and  entirely  naked.  As 
soon  as  the  canoe  landed,  one  of  the  men  ran  fran- 
tically to  the  Spaniards  and  informed  them  that  he 
was  a  Christian  and  a  countryman.  His  name  was 
Aguilar. 

Seven  years  ago,  the  vessel  in  which  he  was  sail- 
ing from  Darien  to  Hispaniola  foundered  in  a  gale. 
The  ship's  company,  twenty  in  number,  took  to  the 
boats.  For  thirteen  days  they  were  driven  about  at 
the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  currents.  Seven  per- 
ished miserably  from  hunger  and  thirst.  The  rest 
reached  the  barbarian  shores  of  Yucatan.  The  natives 
seized  them  as  captives,  guarded  them  carefully,  but 
fed  them  abundantly  with  the  choicest   food,  and   in- 


54  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

flicted  upon  them  no  sufferings,  and  required  of  them 
no  toil.  Their  treatment  was  an  enigma  which  was 
soon  dreadfully  explained. 

One  day  four  of  the  captives  who  were  in  the 
best  condition  were  selected,  sacrificed  upon  the 
bloody  altars  of  the  idols,  and  their  cooked  flesh 
served  up  for  a  cannibal  repast.  The  howlings  of 
the  savages  over  the  midnight  orgies  of  this  horrible 
entertainment  fell  dismally  upon  the  ears  of  the  mis- 
erable survivors.  In  their  despair  they  succeeded  in 
escaping,  and  fled  to  the  mountain  forests.  Here 
they  wandered  for  a  time  in  the  endurance  of  awful 
sufferings.  At  length  they  were  again  taken  captive 
by  the  cacique  or  chief  of  another  province.  He 
spared  their  lives,  but  made  them  menial  slaves. 
Their  masters  were  merciless  and  exacting  in  the  ex- 
treme. Under  this  rigorous  treatment  all  died  but 
two  —  Aguilar,  a  priest,  and  Guerrero,  a  sailor.  The 
sailor,  having  no  scruples  of  any  kind,  and  being  ready 
to  conform  himself  to  all  customs,  gradually  acquired 
the  good  will  of  the  savages.  He  obtained  renown 
as  a  warrior;  identified  himself  entirely  with  the  na- 
tives; tattooed  his  face;  slit  his  ears,  his  lips,  and  his 
nose,  for  those  dangling  ornaments  which  ever  ac- 
company a  barbarian  taste,  and  took  to  him  a  native 
wife. 

Aguilar,  however,  was  a  man  of  more  cultivation 
and   refinement.     He    cherished    his   self-respect,  and, 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  MEXICO  $S 

resisting  all  enticements  to  marry  an  Indian  maiden, 
was  true  to  the  vows  of  celibacy  which  his  priestly 
profession  imposed.  Curious  stories  are  related  of  the 
temptations  to  which  the  natives  exposed  him. 
Weary  years  lingered  along,  presenting  no  opportu- 
nity for  escape.  Cortez  at  last  arrived  at  Cozumel. 
Some  Indians  carried  the  tidings  into  the  interior. 
Aguilar  received  this  intelligence  with  transport,  and 
yet  with  trembling.  He,  however,  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing the  coast,  accompanied  by  two  friendly  natives. 
He  found  upon  the  beach  a  stranded  canoe,  half 
buried  in  the  sand.  Embarking  in  this  with  his  two 
companions,  they  paddled  themselves  across  the  strait, 
at  that  place  twelve  miles  wide,  to  the  island.  The 
frail  boat  was  seen  by  the  party  of  Cortez  upon  the 
surface  of  the  sea.  As  soon  as  Aguilar  landed  he 
dropped  upon  his  knees,  and  with  streaming  eyes 
gave  thanks  to  God  for  his  escape. 

His  companion  in  captivity  refused  to  accompany 
him.  "  Brother  Aguilar,"  said  he,  after  a  moment's 
thought,  "I  am  married.  I  have  three  sons,  and  am 
a  cacique  and  captain  in  the  wars.  My  face  is  tat- 
tooed and  my  ears  bored.  What  would  the  Spaniards 
think  of  me  should  I  now  go  among  them?"  AH 
Aguilar's  treaties  for  him  to  leave  were  unavailing. 

Aguilar  appears  to  have  been  truly  a  good  man. 
As  he  had  acquired  a  perfect  acquaintance  with  the 
language  of  the  natives,  and   with  their  manners   and 


56  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

customs,  Cortez  received  him  as  a  heaven-sent  acqui- 
sition to  his  enterprise. 

On  the  4th  of  March  the  squadron  again  set  sail, 
and,  crossing  the  narrow  strait,  approached  the  shores 
•of  the  continent.  Sailing  directly  north  some  hundred 
miles,  hugging  the  coast  of  Yucatan,  Cortez  doubled 
Cape  Catoche,  and  turning  his  prow  to  the  west, 
boldly  pressed  forward  into  those  unknown  waters 
which  seemed  to  extend  interminably  before  him. 
The  shores  were  densely  covered  with  the  luxuriant 
foliage  of  the  tropics,  and  in  many  a  bay  and  on 
many  a  headland  could  be  discerned  the  thronged 
dwellings  of  the  natives. 

After  sailing  west  about  two  hundred  miles,  they 
found  the  coast  again  turning  abruptly  to  the  south. 
Following  the  line  of  the  land  some  three  hundred 
miles  farther,  they  came  to  the  broad  mouth  of  the 
River  Tabasco,  which  Grijalva  had  entered,  and  which 
Cortez  was  seeking.  A  sand-bar  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  prevented  the  heavily-loaded  vessels  from  pass- 
ing. Cortez,  therefore,  cast  anchor,  and  taking  a 
strong  and  well-armed  party  in  the  boats,  ascended 
the  shallow  stream. 

A  forest  of  majestic  trees,  with  underwood  dense 
and  impervious,  lined  the  banks.  The  naked  forms 
of  the  natives  were  seen  gliding  among  the  foliage, 
following,  in  rapidly-accumulating  numbers,  the  ad- 
vance of  the  boats,  and  evincing,  by  tone  and  gesture, 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  MEXICO  57 

anything  but  a  friendly  spirit.  At  last,  arriving  at  an 
opening  in  the  forest,  where  a  smooth  and  grassy 
meadow  extended  with  gradual  ascent  from  the  stream, 
the  boats  drew  near  the  shore,  and  Cortez,  through  his 
interpreter  Aguilar,  asked  permission  to  land,  avowing 
his  friendly  intentions.  The  prompt  answer  was  the 
clash  of  weapons  and  shouts  of  defiance. 

Upon  this  Cortez  decided  to  postpone  a  forcible 
landing  until  the  morning,  and  retired  to  a  small  island 
in  the  river  which  was  uninhabited.  He  here  encamped 
for  the  night,  establishing  a  vigilant  line  of  sentinels 
to  guard  against  surprise. 

In  the  early  dawn  of  the  next  morning  the  party 
were  assembled  for  prayers  and  for  the  celebration  of 
mass.  They  then,  with  new  zeal  and  courage,  entered 
their  boats,  and  ascended  the  glassy,  forest-fringed 
stream,  upon  which  the  morning  sun  shone  brightly. 
Bird-songs  filled  the  air,  and  hardly  a  breath  of  wind 
moved  the  leaves,  glittering  in  the  brilliant  sunlight, 
as  these  bronzed  men  of  iron  sinews  moved  sternly 
on  to  the  demoniac  deeds  of  war.  The  natives,  in 
preparation  for  the  conflict,  had  been  all  the  night 
rallying  their  forces.  The  shore  was  lined  with  their 
war-canoes,  and  the  banks  were  covered  with  Indian 
troops  drawn  up  in  martial  array.  Gorgeous  plumes 
decorated  their  persons,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun  were 
reflected  from  their  polished  weapons.  As  soon  as 
the  Spanish  boats  appeared,  the  vast  army  of  the  na- 


5S  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

tives  raised  shouts  of  defiance,  and  the  ear  was 
almost  deafened  with  the  clangor  of  their  trumpets 
and  drums. 

The  battle  soon  commenced.  The  sky  was  almost 
darkened  by  the  shower  of  arrows  thrown  by  those 
upon  the  land.  The  warriors  in  the  canoes  fought 
fiercely  with  their  javelins.  The  conflict  was  bloody, 
but  short.  Native  valor  could  avail  but  little  against 
European  discipline  and  art.  The  spears,  stones,  and 
arrows  of  the  natives  fell  almost  harmless  upon  the 
helmets  and  shields  of  the  Spaniards;  but  the  bullets 
from  the  guns  of  the  invaders  swept  like  hail-stones 
through  the  crowded  ranks  of  the  natives,  unimpeded 
by  their  frail  weapons  of  defense.  Cortez  himself 
headed  a  charge  which  broke  resistlessly  into  the 
hostile  ranks.  Appalled  by  the  terrific  thunder  and 
lightning  of  the  musketry,  the  Indians  soon  scattered 
and  fled,  leaving  the  ground  covered  with  their  slain. 

Cortez  now  reviewed  his  troops  in  triumph  upon 
the  shore.  He  found  that  fourteen  were  wounded, 
but  none  slain.  To  attend  to  the  wounded  and  to 
rest  his  exhausted  men,  he  again  encamped.  The 
bloodstained  banner  of  the  cross,  which  they  had  so 
signally  dishonored,  floated  proudly  over  their  intrench- 
ments.  Prayers  were  offered  and  mass  celebrated  in 
honor  of  the  victory  achieved  by  Christian  arms 
against  idolaters.  The  next  morning  the  Spaniards 
marched   unresisted    to    Tabasco,    the   capital   of  the 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  MEXICO  59 

province,  a  large  town  upon  the  river,  but  a  few 
miles  above  the  place  where  the  invaders  had  effected 
a  landing.  The  inhabitants,  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, fled  from  the  place  in  dismay. 

Cortez  took  possession  of  the  town  in  the  name 
of  the  King  of  Spain.  But  the  whole  surrounding 
region  was  now  aroused.  The  natives,  in  numbers 
which  could  not  be  counted,  gathered  in  the  vicinity 
of  Tabasco,  and  organized  their  forces  anew,  to  repel, 
if  possible,  the  terrible  foe.  They  were  assembled  on 
the  great  plain  of  Ceutla.  Cortez  had  anticipated  this, 
and  was  also  gathering  his  strength  for  a  decisive 
battle.  He  sent  to  the  ships  for  six  pieces  of  cannon, 
his  whole  cavalry  of  sixteen  horses,  and  every  availa- 
ble man.  A  few  only  were  left  to  guard  the  vessels. 
This  powerful  re-enforcement  soon  arrived.  Thus 
strengthened,  his  whole  army  was  called  together  to 
celebrate  the  solemnities  of  mass,  and  to  implore  the 
blessing  of  God  in  extending  the  triumphs  of  the 
cross  over  the  kingdom  of  Satan.  Thus  they  marched 
forth,  with  powder,  and  ball,  and  neighing  steeds,  to 
the  merciless  slaughter  of  those  brave  men  who  were 
fighting  for  their  country  and  their  homes. 

The  Spaniards  now  advanced  to  meet  their  foes. 
It  was  a  Jovely  morning,  the  25th  of  March.  The 
natives,  in  point  of  civilization,  raised  far  above  the 
condition  of  savages,  had  large  fields  in  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,  waving  with  the  rich  vegetation  of  the 


60  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

tropics.  After  a  march  of  three  or  four  miles  through 
a  country  cultivated  like  a  garden,  they  arrived  at  the 
ground  occupied  by  the  native  army.  The  lines  of 
their  encampments  were  so  extended  and  yet  so 
crowded  that  the  Spaniards  estimated  their  numbers 
at  over  forty  thousand.  To  meet  them  in  the  strife 
Cortez  had  but  six  hundred  men.  But  his  terrible 
engines  of  destruction  made  his  force  more  powerful 
than  theirs.  The  natives  were  ready  for  the  battle,, 
They  greeted  their  assailants  with  a  war-whoop,  which 
rose  in  thunder  tones  over  the  plain,  and  showered 
upon  them  volleys  of  arrows,  sling-stones,  and  jave- 
lins. At  this  first  discharge,  seventy  Spaniards  were 
wounded  and  one  was  slain.  The  conflict  soon  raged 
with  all  imaginable  horrors.  The  natives  fought  with 
the  courage  of  desperation.  They  seemed  even  re- 
gardless of  the  death-dealing  muskets.  And  when 
the  terrible  cannon,  with  its  awful  roar,  opened  huge 
gaps  in  their  ranks,  manfully  they  closed  up,  and  with 
new  vigor  pressed  the  onset.  The  odds  were  so  fear- 
ful that  for  some  time  it  seemed  quite  doubtful  on 
which  side  victory  would  rest. 

Cortez,  heading  his  cavalry,  swept  around  the  plain, 
and,  by  a  circuitous  route,  came  unperceived  upon  the 
rear  of  the  tumultuous  foe.  The  sixteen  horsemen, 
clad  in  steel,  urging  their  horses  to  their  utmost 
speed,  with  loud  shouts  and  sabers  gleaming  in  the 
air,  plunged  into  the  midst  of  the  throng.    Their  keen- 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  MEXICO         61 

edged  swords  fell  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left 
upon  the  almost  naked  bodies  of  the  natives.  At  the 
same  moment,  the  energies  of  musketry  and  artillery 
were  plied  with  murderous  carnage. 

The  natives  had  never  seen  a  horse  before.  They 
thought  the  rider  and  the  steed  one  animal.  As  these 
terrific  monsters,  half  human,  half  beast,  came  bound- 
ing into  their  midst,  cutting  down  and  trampling  be- 
neath iron  hoofs  all  who  stood  in  the  way,  while  at 
the  same  time  the  appalling  roar  of  the  cannonade 
seem  to  shake  the  very  hills,  the  scene  became  too 
awful  for  mortal  courage  to  endure.  The  whole 
mighty  mass,  in  uncontrollable  dismay,  fled  from  the 
presence  of  foes  of  such  demoniac  aspect  and  energy. 
The  slaughter  of  these  poor  Indians  was  so  awful 
that  some  of  the  Spaniards  extravagantly  estimated 
the  number  left  dead  upon  the  field  at  thirty  thou- 
sand. Though  many  of  the  Spaniards  were  wounded, 
but  two  were  killed. 

Cortez  immediately  assembled  his  army  under  a 
grove  upon  the  field  of  battle  to  give  thanks  to  God 
for  the  victory.  The  pomp  and  pageantry  of  war 
gave  place  to  the  pomp  and  pageantry  of  the  Church. 
Canonical  robes  and  banners  fluttered  in  the  breeze, 
processions  marched,  the  smoke  of  incense  floated  in 
the  air,  and  mass,  with  all  its  imposing  solemnities, 
was  celebrated  in  the  midst  of  prayers  and  thanks- 
givings. 


62  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

"Then/'  says  Diaz,  "after  dressing  our  wounds 
with  the  fat  of  Indians  whom  we  found  dead  there- 
about, and  having  placed  good  guards  round  our  post, 
we  ate  our  supper  and  went  to  our  repose." 

Under  the  placable  influence  of  these  devotions, 
the  conqueror  sent  word  to  the  vanquished  that  he 
would  now  forgive  them  if  they  would  submit  un- 
conditionally to  his  authority.  But  he  declared  that 
if  they  refused  this,  he  would  ride  over  the  land,  and 
put  every  thmg  in  it,  man,  woman,  and  child,  to  the 
sword. 

The  spirit  of  resistance  was  utterly  crushed.  The 
natives  immediately  sent  a  delegation  to  him  laden 
with  presents.  To  impress  these  embassadors  still 
more  deeply  with  a  sense  of  his  power,  he  exhibited 
before  them  the  martial  evolutions  of  his  cavalry,  and 
showed  them  the  effects  of  his  artillery  as  the  balls 
were  sped  crashing  through  the  trees  of  the  forest. 
The  natives  were  now  effectually  conquered,  and 
looked  upon  the  Spaniards  as  beings  of  supernatural 
powers,  wielding  the  terrors  of  thunder  and  lightning, 
and  whom  no  mortal  energies  could  resist. 

They  had  become  as  little  children.  This  Cortez 
thought  a  very  suitable  frame  of  mind  to  secure  their 
conversion.  He  recommended  that  they  should  cast 
down  their  idols,  and  accept  instead  the  gods  of  pa- 
pal Rome.  The  recommendation  of  Cortez  was  po- 
tent   over    the    now   pliant    natives.     They    made  no 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  MEXICO  63 

opposition  while  the  soldiers,  whose  hands  were 
hardly  yet  washed  of  the  blood  of  their  relatives, 
hewed  down  their  images.  With  very  imposing  cere- 
monies, the  religion  of  the  conquerors  was  instituted 
in  the  temples  of  Yucatan,  and,  in  honor  of  the  Virgin 
Mary,  the  name  of  Tabasco  was  changed  into  St.  Mary 
of  Victory. 

In  all  this  tremendous  crime  there  was  apparently 
no  hypocrisy.  Human  motives  will  seldom  bear 
rigid  scrutiny.  Man's  best  deeds  are  tainted.  Cortez 
was  very  sincere  in  his  desire  to  overthrow  the 
abominable  system  of  idolatry  prevailing  among  the 
natives.  He  perhaps  truly  thought  that  these  violent 
measures  were  necessary  to  accomplish  this  object,  and 
that  Christianity,  thus  introduced,  would  prove  an  inesti- 
mable blessing.  We  may  abhor  his  conduct,  while 
we  can  still  make  generous  allowances  for  the  dark- 
ness of  his  mind  and  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived. 
It  requires  infinite  wisdom  to  adjust  the  balance  of 
human  deeds. 

Two  of  the  Catholic  ecclesiastics,  Olmedo  and 
Diaz,  were  probably  unaffected  Christians,  truly  desiring 
the  spiritual  renovation  of  the  Indians.  They  felt  keenly 
the  worth  of  the  soul,  and  did  all  they  could  rightly 
to  instruct  these  unhappy  and  deeply-wronged  natives. 
They  sincerely  pitied  their  sufferings,  but  deemed  it 
wise  that  the  right  eye  should  be  plucked  out,  and 
that  the  right  arm  should  be  cut  off,  rather  than  that 


<54  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

the  soul  should  perish.  It  is  a  consoling  thought, 
that  "like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord 
pitieth  them  that  fear  him ;  for  he  knoweth  our  frame, 
he  remembereth  that  we  are  dust."  The  natives 
were  assembled  in  their  temples;  they  came  together 
in  immense  multitudes.  The  priests,  through  their 
interpreter,  Aguilar,  endeavored  to  instruct  them  in 
the  pure  doctrines  and  the  sublime  mysteries  of  Chris- 
tianity. If  the  natives  perceived  a  marked  difference 
between  these  precepts  and  the  awful  carnage  on  the 
field  of  Ceutla,  it  was  not  the  first  time  that  principles 
and  practice  have  been  found  discordant. 

A  grand  religious  ceremony  was  instituted  to  com- 
memorate the  conversion  of  the  nation.  The  whole 
army  took  a  part  in  the  solemnities  of  the  occasion, 
with  all  the  martial  and  ecclesiastical  pomp  which 
their  situation  could  furnish.  The  natives  in  countless 
multitudes  joined  the  procession,  and  gazed  with  as- 
tonishment upon  the  scene.  Advancing  to  the  prin- 
cipal pyramidal  temple  of  Tabasco,  which  was  an 
enormous  structure,  with  a  vast  area  upon  its  summit, 
they  wound  around  its  sides  in  the  ascent.  Upon 
this  lofty  platform,  beneath  the  unclouded  sun,  with 
thousands  of  Indians  crowding  the  region  around  to 
witness  the  strange  spectacle,  a  Christian  altar  was 
reared,  the  images  of  the  Savior  and  of  the  Virgin 
were  erected,  and  mass  was  celebrated.  Clouds  of  in- 
cense rose  into  the  still  air,  and  the  rich  voices  of  the 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  MEXICO  6s 

Spanish  soldiers  swelled  the  solemn  chant.  It  must 
have  been  an  impressive  scene.  There  must  have 
been  some  there  into  whose  eye  the  tear  of  devotion 
gushed.  If  there  were  in  that  throng — all  of  whom 
have  long  since  gone  to  judgment — one  single  broken 
and  contrite  heart,  that  was  an  offering  which  God 
could  accept.  Father  Olmedo  preached  upon  the  oc- 
casion "many  good  things  touching  our  holy  faith." 
Twenty  Indian  girls  who  had  been  given  to  the 
Spanish  captains  for  wives  were  baptized. 

Cortez  having  thus,  in  the  course  of  a  week,  an- 
nexed the  whole  of  these  new  provinces  of  unknown 
extent  to  Spain,  and  having  converted  the  natives  to 
Christianity,  prepared  for  his  departure.  The  natives, 
among  their  propitiatory  offerings,  had  presented  to 
Cortez,  as  we  have  mentioned,  twenty  young  and 
beautiful  females  whom  they  had  captured  from  hos- 
tile tribes,  or  who  in  other  ways  had  become  their 
slaves.  Cortez  distributed  these  unenlightened  maid- 
ens among  his  captains,  having  first  selected  one  of 
the  youngest  and  most  beautiful  of  them,  Marina,  for 
his  wife.  Cortez  had  a  worthy  spouse  upon  his  plan- 
tation at  Cuba.  No  civil  or  religious  rites  sanctioned 
this  unhallowed  union;  and  he  was  sufficiently  in- 
structed to  know  that  he  was  sinning  against  the 
laws  of  both  God  and  man;  but  the  conscience  of  this 
extraordinary  adventurer  had  become  involved  in 
labyrinths    utterly   inexplicable.     He   seemed  to  judge 

M.  of  H.— XV— 5 


66  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

that  he  was  doing  so  much  for  the  cause  of  Holy 
Mother  Church  that  his  own  private  sins  were  of 
little  comparative  moment.  His  many  good  deeds,  he 
appeared  to  think,  purchased  ample  indulgence. 

But  Marina  was  a  noble  woman.  The  relation 
which  she  sustained  to  Cortez  did  no  violence  to  her 
instincts  or  to  her  conscience.  She  had  never  been 
instructed  in  the  school  of  Christ.  Polygamy  was  the 
religion  of  her  land.  She  deemed  herself  the  honored 
wife  of  Cortez,  and  dreamed  not  of  wrong.  Marina 
was  in  all  respects  an  extraordinary  woman.  Nature 
had  done  much  for  her.  In  person  she  was  exceed- 
ingly beautiful.  She  had  winning  manners,  and  a 
warm  and  loving  heart.  Her  mind  was  of  a  superior 
order.  She  very  quickly  mastered  the  difficulties  of 
the  Castilian  tongue,  and  thus  spoke  three  languages 
with  native  fluency — the  Mexican,  the  Yucatanese, 
and  the  Spanish.  "I  am  more  happy,"  said  she  one 
day,  "in  being  the  wife  of  my  lord  and  master  Cor- 
tez, and  of  having  a  son  by  him,  than  if  I  had 
been  sovereign  of  all  of  New  Spain." 

Her  career  had  been  eventful  in  the  extreme.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  a  rich  and  powerful  cacique, 
who  was  tributary  to  the  Emperor  of  Mexico.  Her 
father  died  during  her  infancy,  and  her  mother  mar- 
ried again.  A  son  by  her  new  husband  gradually  es- 
tranged the  affections  of  the  unnatural  mother  from 
her    daughter.     These    feelings    increased,  till    she    re- 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  MEXICO  67 

garded  the  child  with  deep  dislike,  and  secretly  gave 
her  away  to  some  slave-drivers,  circulating  the  report 
that  the  child  was  dead.  The  slave-merchants  brought 
her  from  her  distant  home,  where  the  language  of 
Mexico  was  her  native  tongue,  and  sold  her  to  one 
of  the  chiefs  of  Tabasco.  Here  she  acquired  the  lan- 
guage of  Yucatan. 

There  was  much  in  the  energy,  magnanimity, 
fearlessness,  and  glowing  temperament  of  Cortez  to 
rouse  a  woman's  love.  Marina  became  devotedly  at- 
tached to  him.  She  watched  over  his  interests  with 
a  zeal  which  never  slumbered;  and  when  she  became 
the  mother  of  his  son,  still  more  tender  ties  bound 
her  to  the  conqueror  of  her  race.  In  subsequent 
scenes  of  difficulty  and  danger,  her  acquaintance  with 
the  native  language,  manners,  and  customs  made  her 
an  invaluable  acquisition  to  the  expedition. 

After  a  few  days  spent  at  Tabasco,  the  hour  for 
departure  came. 

The  boats,  decorated  with  the  banner  of  the  cross, 
and  with  palm  leaves,  the  symbols  of  happiness  and 
peace,  floated  down  the  beautiful  river  to  the  squad- 
ron riding  at  anchor  at  its  mouth.  Again  spreading 
the  sails,  and  catching  a  favorable  breeze,  the  adven- 
turers were  wafted  rejoicingly  on  toward  the  shores 
of  Mexico.  The  newly-converted  natives  were  left  to 
meditate  upon  the  instructions  which  they  had  re- 
ceived, to   count   the   graves  of  the  slain,  to  heal,  as 


68  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

they  could,  the  gory  wounds  and  splintered  bones  of 
their  friends,  still  writhing  in  anguish,  and  to  wail 
the  funeral  dirge  in  the  desolate  homes  of  the  widow 
and  the  orphan.  Seldom,  in  the  history  of  the  world, 
has  such  a  whirlwind  of  woe  so  suddenly  burst  upon 
any  people.  How  long  they  continued  to  cherish  a 
religion  introduced  by  such  harbingers  we  are  not  in- 
formed. 

The  sun  shone  brightly  on  the  broad  Mexican 
Gulf,  and  zephyrs  laden  with  fragrance  from  the  luxu- 
riant shores  swelled  the  flowing  sheets.  As  the  fleet 
crept  along  the  land,  the  temples  and  houses  of  the 
natives,  and  their  waving  fields  of  grain,  were  dis- 
tinctly visible  from  the  decks.  Many  a  promontory 
and  headland  was  covered  with  multitudes  of  tawny 
figures,  decorated  with  all  the  attractions  of  barbarian 
splendor,  gazing  upon  the  fearful  phenomena  of  the 
passing  ships.  Cortez  continued  his  course  for  several 
hundred  miles,  sweeping  around  the  shores  of  this 
magnificent  gulf,  until  he  arrived  at  the  island  of 
San  Juan  de  Ulua.  He  was  seeking  this  spot,  which 
Grijalva  had  visited,  and  here  he  dropped  his  anchors 
in  one  of  the  harbors  of  the  empire  of  Mexico. 


CHAPTER     IV. 

Founding  a  Colony. 

The  fleet  anchors. —  Arrival  of  the  canoes. —  The  two  chiefs. —  The  legend. — 
The  presents. —  The  interview. —  The  government  of  the  empire. —  Cortez 
lands. — Scene  on  the  shore. —  Visit  of  Governor  Teutile. —  Cortez's 
speech. —  Teutile's  uneasiness. —  His  reply. —  Embassadors  to  be  sent  to 
Montezuma. —  Picture  writing. —  Military  review. —  The  manoeuvres. — 
Terror  of  the  natives. —  Departure  of  the  runners. —  Police  regulations. — 
Kindness  of  the  natives.—  Arrival  of  the  embassy. —  Message  from  Mon- 
tezuma.—  Chagrin  of  Cortez. —  Disaffection  in  the  camp. —  Second  Mes- 
sage from  Montezuma. —  The  Ave  Maria. —  Curiosity  of  the  natives. — 
The  sermon. —  Presentation  of  the  crucifix. —  Desertion  of  the  huts. —  The 
mutiny. —  Shrewdness. —  The  mutineers  outwitted. —  Success  of  the 
scheme. —  Enthusiasm. —  Council  elected  for  the  new  colony. —  Appear- 
ance of  Cortez  before  the  assembly. —  The  address. —  Cortez  lays  down 
his  commission. —  He  is  induced  to  take  it  up  again. —  Remonstrance. — 
Mode  of  reasoning. —  Envoys  of  Zempoalla. —  Prospect  of  civil  war.— 
Resolve  to  establish  a  colony  at  Quiabislan. —  Beauties  of  the  country 
and  refinement  of  the  inhabitants. —  Reception  at  Zempoalla. —  Cortez 
offers  his  services. —  Wrongs  of  the  Totonacs. —  Help  implored. —  Ap- 
plause of  the  natives. —  Erection  of  fortifications. —  Building  the  town. 
—  The  lords  from  Montezuma. —  Consternation  of  the  Totonacs. —  The 
penalty. —  Cortez's  orders. —  Power  of  Montezuma. —  The  Mexican  lords 
arrested. —  Perfidy  of  Cortez. —  The  lords  are  liberated. —  Villa  Rica  de  la 
Vera  Cruz. —  Embassy  from  Montezuma. —  He  adopts  a  conciliatory  pol- 
icy.—  Amazement  of  the  Totonacs. 

IT  was  a  beautiful  afternoon  in  April  when  the  fleet 
sailed  majestically  into  the  Mexican  bay.  Earth, 
sea,  and  sky  smiled  serenely,  and  all  the  elements 
of  trouble  were  lulled  into  repose.  As  the  ships  glided 
over  the  smooth  waters  to    their  sheltered  anchorage, 

a  scene,  as  of  enchantment,  opened  around   the  voy- 

(69) 


70  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

agers.  In  the  distance,  on  grassy  slopes,  and  in  the 
midst  of  luxuriant  groves,  the  villages  and  rural 
dwellings  of  the  natives  were  thickly  scattered.  The 
shores  were  covered  with  an  eager  multitude,  contem- 
plating with  wonder  and  awe  the  sublime  spectacle 
of  the  fleet. 

Hardly  were  the  anchors  dropped  ere  two  canoes 
shot  from  the  shore,  filled  with  natives.  The  ship  in 
which  Cortez  sailed  was  more  imposing  than  the 
rest,  and  the  banner  of  Spain  floated  proudly  from  its 
topmast.  The  Mexicans  steered  promptly  for  this 
vessel,  and,  with  the  most  confiding  frankness,  as- 
cended its  sides.  Two  of  the  persons  in  these  boats 
were  men  of  high  distinction  in  the  Mexican  empire. 
As  Marina  understood  their  language  perfectly,  and 
the  liberated  Spanish  captive  Aguilar  was  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  language  of  the  Tabascans,  there 
was  no  difficulty  in  the  interchange  of  ideas.  One  of 
these  men  was  the  governor  of  the  province  in  which 
Cortez  had  landed;  the  other  was  commander-in-chief 
of  all  the  military  forces  in  that  province.  It  has  been 
mentioned  that  Grijalva  had  previously  landed  at  this 
spot,  and  given  it  the  name  of  San  Juan  de  Ulua. 
The  Mexicans  had  thus  some  knowledge  of  the  for- 
midable strangers  who  were  invading  the  New  World, 
and  in  various  ways  tidings,  for  now  the  quarter  of 
a  century,  had  been  reaching  their  ears  of  the  appall- 
ing power  of  this  new  race. 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  71 

Perhaps  to  this  fact  is  to  be  attributed  the  general 
and  discouraging  impression  which  then  prevailed, 
that  a  fearful  calamity  which  nothing  could  avert  was 
impending  over  the  nation;  that  it  was  the  decree  of 
destiny  that  a  strange  race,  coming  from  the  rising 
of  the  sun,  should  overwhelm  and  desolate  their 
country. 

The  two  chiefs  brought  Cortez  a  present  of  bread, 
fruit,  fowls,  flowers,  and  golden  ornaments.  The  in- 
terview was  conducted  by  the  interchange  of  the 
most  formal  social  ceremonies  of  Mexico  and  of  Spain. 
Cortez  invited  his  guests  to  remain  and  dine.  The 
communication  between  them  was  necessarily  slow, 
as  Marina  interpreted  their  speech  to  Aguilar,  and 
Aguilar  to  Cortez.  The  Spanish  commander,  how- 
ever, thus  ascertained  the  most  important  facts  which 
he  wished  to  know  respecting  the  great  empire  of 
Mexico.  He  learned  that  two  hundred  miles  in  the 
interior  was  situated  the  capital  of  the  empire,  and 
that  a  monarch  named  Montezuma,  beloved  and  re- 
vered by  his  subjects,  reigned  over  the  extended 
realm.  The  country  was  divided  into  provinces,  over 
each  of  which  a  governor  presided.  The  province  in 
which  Cortez  had  landed  was  under  the  sway  of 
Governor  Teutile,  who  resided  about  twenty  miles  in 
the  interior. 

Cortez,  though  uninvited,  immediately,  with  great 
energy   and   boldness,    landed    his    whole    force    upon 


72  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

the  beach.  He  constructed  a  fortified  camp,  and 
planted  his  heavy  artillery  upon  the  surrounding  hil- 
locks to  sweep  all  the  approaches.  Characteristically 
it  is  recorded  that,  having  posted  their  artillery,  they 
raised  an  altar,  and  not  till  after  that  was  done  did 
they  erect  barracks  for  themselves.  The  friendly  na- 
tives aided  the  Spaniards  in  building  huts,  brought 
them  presents  of  flowers  and  food,  and  entered  into 
an  active  traffic,  in  which  both  parties  exulted  in  the 
great  bargains  which  they  made.  Thus  the  Mexicans 
warmed  the  vipers  who  were  fatally  to  -ting  them. 

It  was  indeed  a  novel  scene,  worthy  of  the  pencil 
of  the  painter,  which  that  beach  presented  day  after 
day.  Men,  women,  and  children,  boys  and  girls,  in 
all  the  variety  of  barbaric  costume,  thronged  the  en- 
campment. Mexicans  and  Spaniards  mingled  merrily 
in  all  the  peaceful  and  joyful  confusion  of  a  fair.  The 
rumor  of  the  strange  visitors  spread  far  and  wide, 
and  each  day  increasing  multitudes  were  assembled. 

The  intelligence  was  speedily  communicated  to 
Governor  Teutile.  With  a  numerous  retinue,  he  set 
out  from  his  palace  to  visit  his  uninvited  guests,  and 
to  ascertain  their  object  and  purposes.  The  governor 
entered  the  Spanish  camp  accompanied  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chief of  all  the  provincial  forces.  Each 
party  vied  in  the  external  demonstrations  of  respect 
and  friendship.  The  eyes  of  the  Spaniards  glistened 
with    avarice    as  Teutile    spread    before    Cortez    many 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  73 

valuable  ornaments  of  massive  silver  and  gold, 
wrought  in  exquisite  workmanship.  The  sight  in- 
flamed them  with  more  intense  desires  to  penetrate  a 
country  where  such  treasures  could  be  obtained. 
After  a  splendid  repast  given  by  the  Spaniards,  Cortez 
said  to  his  visitors, 

"I  am  the  subject  of  Charles  V.,  the  most  pow- 
erful monarch  in  the  world.  My  sovereign  has  heard 
of  the  greatness  and  the  glory  of  Montezuma,  the 
Emperor  of  Mexico.  I  am  sent  to  his  court  to  con- 
vey the  respects  of  my  sovereign,  to  offer  suitable 
presents,  and  to  confer  with  him  upon  matters  of 
great  moment.  It  is  therefore  my  desire  to  proceed 
immediately  to  the  capital,  to  accomplish  the  pur- 
poses of  my  mission." 

Teutile  could  not  conceal  the  uneasiness  with 
which  he  heard  this  avowal.  He  knew  that  Monte- 
zuma and  all  the  most  intelligent  men  of  the  nation 
contemplated  with  dread  the  power  and  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  Europeans,  now  so  firmly  established  on 
the  islands  of  the  Caribbean  Sea.  With  embarrass- 
ment he  replied, 

"I  hear  with  pleasure  of  the  magnificence  of  your 
sovereign.  Our  monarch  is  not  less  glorious.  No 
earthly  king  can  surpass  him  in  wealth  or  goodness. 
You  have  been  but  a  few  days  in  these  realms,  and 
yet  you  are  impatient  to  be  admitted,  without  delay, 
into    the    presence    of   Montezuma.      Our    king    will 


74  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

doubtless  hear  with  pleasure  from  your  sovereign,  and 
receive  his  embassador  honorably.  But  it  will  be 
first  necessary  to  inform  him  of  your  arrival,  that  he 
may  communicate  to  you  his  royal  pleasure." 

Cortez  was  exceedingly  annoyed  by  this  delay. 
Deeming  it,  however,  important  to  secure  the  friend- 
ship of  the  Mexicans,  he  consented  to  wait  until  the 
return  of  the  couriers  who  were  immediately  to  be 
sent  to  Montezuma.  The  natives  were  not  acquainted 
with  the  alphabet,  but  they  had  in  use  a  sort  of  pic- 
ture writing,  delineating  upon  fine  cotton  cloth  pic- 
tures of  scenes  which  they  wished  to  represent. 
Teutile  requested  that  his  painters  might  be  permitted 
to  take  a  sketch  of  the  Spaniards  and  their  equipage. 
Consent  being  obtained,  the  painters  commenced  their 
work,  which  they  executed  with  remarkable  rapidity 
and  skill.  The  fleet  in  the  harbor,  the  encampment 
upon  the  shore,  the  muskets,  the  artillery,  the  horses, 
all  were  delineated  true  to  life.  They  were  so  accu- 
rate in  the  figures  and  portraits  of  Cortez  and  his 
leading  companions  that  the  Spaniards  immediately 
recognized  them. 

When  Cortez  observed  this  remarkable  skill,  that 
he  might  impress  Montezuma  the  more  deeply 
with  a  sense  of  his  power,  he  ordered  his  whole 
force  to  be  assembled  for  a  military  review.  The 
trumpets  pealed  forth  the  martial  summons  which  the 
well-drilled    bands     so     perfectly    understood.      The 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  75 

troops  instantly  formed  in  order  of  battle.  Infantry, 
artillery,  cavalry,  all  were  at  their  posts.  The  most 
intricate  and  beautiful  manoeuvres  were  performed. 
Martial  music  contributed  its  thrilling  charms;  ban- 
ners floated  in  the  breeze;  helmets,  cuirasses,  swords, 
and  polished  muskets  gleamed  in  the  rays  of  the  un- 
clouded sun.  Mounted  horsemen  bounded  over  the 
plain  in  the  terrific  charge,  and  the  artillerymen, 
with  rapid  evolutions,  moved  to  and  fro,  dragging 
over  the  sands  their  lumbering  yet  mysterious  en- 
gines of  destruction,  whose  awful  roar  and  terrific 
power  the  Mexicans  had  not  yet  witnessed.  It  was  a 
gorgeous  spectacle  even  to  eyes  accustomed  to  such 
scenes.  The  Mexicans,  in  countless  thousands,  gazed 
upon  it  in  silent  amazement.  But  when,  at  the  close, 
Cortez  placed  his  cannon  in  battery,  and  ordered  a  sim- 
ultaneous discharge,  aiming  the  heavily-shotted  guns 
into  the  dense  forest,  the  bewilderment  of  the  poor 
natives  passed  away  into  unspeakable  terror.  They 
saw  the  lightning  flash,  they  heard  the  roar,  louder 
than  the  heaviest  thunders.  As  the  iron  storm  was 
shot  through  the  forest,  the  limbs  of  the  gigantic 
trees  came  crashing  to  the  ground.  Dense  volumes 
of  sulphurous  smoke  enveloped  them.  Even  the 
boldest  turned  pale,  and  the  timid  shrieked  and  fled. 
Cortez  was  much  pleased  in  seeing  how  deeply  he 
had  impressed  his  visitors  with  a  sense  of  his  power. 
The  painters  made  a  very  accurate  delineation  of  the 


76  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

whole  scene  to  be  transmitted  to  Montezuma.  They 
then,  with  much  ceremony,  departed. 

The  police  regulations  of  Mexico  were  in  some 
respects  in  advance  of  that  which  then  prevailed  in 
Europe.  For  the  rapid  transmission  of  intelligence 
from  the  remotest  bounds  of  the  empire  to  the  capi- 
tal, well-trained  runners  were  posted,  at  suitable  sta- 
tions, all  along  the  principal  roads.  Each  man  had  a 
short  stage,  which  he  passed  over  with  great  rapidity, 
and  communicated  his  message,  verbal  or  written  in 
the  picture  language,  to  a  fresh  runner.  Burdens  and 
governmental  officers  were  also  rapidly  transmitted,  in 
a  sort  of  palanquin,  in  the  same  way,  from  post  to 
post,  by  relays  of  men. 

A  week  passed  while  Cortez  remained  impatiently 
in  his  encampment  awaiting  an  answer  to  the  mes- 
sage sent  to  Montezuma.  The  friendly  natives,  in  the 
mean  time,  supplied  the  Spaniards  with  every  thing 
they  could  need.  By  the  command  of  the  governor, 
Teutile,  more  than  a  thousand  huts  of  branches  of 
trees  and  of  cotton  matting  were  reared  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  encampment  for  the  accommodation  of  the  Mex- 
icans, who,  without  recompense,  were  abundantly 
supplying  the  table  of  Cortez  and  of  his  troops. 

On  the  eighth  day  an  embassy  arrived  at  the  camp 
from  the  Mexican  capital.  Two  nobles  of  the  court, 
accompanied  by  a  retinue  of  a  hundred  men  of  bur- 
den,   laden   with   magnificent  gifts   from   Montezuma, 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  77 

presented  themselves  before  the  pavilion  of  Cortez. 
The  embassadors  saluted  the  Spanish  chieftain  with 
the  greatest  reverence,  bowing  before  him,  and  sur- 
rounding him  with  clouds  of  incense,  which  arose 
from  waving  censers  borne  by  their  attendants.  The 
presents  which  they  brought,  in  silver,  in  gold,  in 
works  of  art,  utility,  and  beauty,  excited  the  rapture 
and  the  amazement  of  the  Spaniards.  There  were 
specimens  of  workmanship  in  the  precious  metals 
which  no  artists  in  Europe  could  rival.  A  Spanish 
helmet  which  had  been  sent  to  Montezuma  was  re- 
turned filled  with  grains  of  pure  gold.  These  costly 
gifts  were  opened  before  Cortez  in  lavish  abundance, 
and  they  gave  indications  of  opulence  hitherto  un- 
dreamed of.  After  they  had  been  sufficiently  ex- 
amined and  admired,  one  of  the  embassadors  very 
courteously  said, 

"Our  master  is  happy  to  send  these  tokens  of  his 
respect  to  the  King  of  Spain.  He  regrets  that  he  can 
not  enjoy  an  interview  with  the  Spaniards.  But  the 
distance  of  his  capital  is  too  great,  and  the  perils  of 
the  journey  are  too  imminent  to  allow  of  this  pleas- 
ure. The  strangers  are  therefore  requested  to  return 
to  their  own  homes  with  these  proofs  of  the  friendly 
feelings  of  Montezuma." 

Cortez  was  much  chagrined.  He  earnestly,  how- 
ever, renewed  his  application  for  permission  to  visit 
the  emperor.      But  the   embassadors,  as   they  retired, 


78  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

assured  him  that  another  application  would  be  una- 
vailing. They,  however,  took  a  few  meager  presents 
of  shirts  and  toys,  which  alone  remained  to  Cortez, 
and  departed  on  their  journey  of  two  hundred  miles, 
with  the  reiterated  and  still  more  earnest  application 
from  Cortez  for  permission  to  visit  the  emperor.  It 
was  now  evident  that  the  Mexicans  had  received  in- 
structions from  the  court,  and  that  all  were  anxious 
that  the.  Spaniards  should  leave  the  country.  Though 
the  natives  manifested  no  hostility,  they  immediately 
became  cold  and  reserved,  and  ceased  to  supply  the 
camp  with  food.  With  the  Spaniards  the  charm  of 
novelty  was  over.  Insects  annoyed  them.  They 
were  blistered  by  the  rays  of  a  meridian  sun,  reflected 
from  the  burning  sands  of  the  beach.  Sickness  entered 
the  camp,  and  thirty  died.  Disaffection  began  to 
manifest  itself,  and  some  were  anxious  to  return  to 
Cuba. 

But  the  treasures  which  had  been  received  from 
Montezuma,  so  rich  and  so  abundant,  inspired  Cortez 
and  his  gold-loving  companions  with  the  most  intense 
desire  to  penetrate  an  empire  of  so  much  opulence. 
They,  however,  waited  patiently  ten  days,  when  the 
embassadors  again  returned.  As  before,  they  came 
laden  with  truly  imperial  gifts.  The  gold  alone  of 
the  ornaments  which  they  brought  was  valued  by  the 
Spaniards  at  more  than  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The 
message  from    Montezuma   was,   however,   still    more 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  79 

peremptory  than  the  first.  He  declared  that  he  could 
not  permit  the  Spaniards  to  approach  his  capital. 
Cortez,  though  excessively  vexed,  endeavored  to 
smother  the  outward  expression  of  his  irritation.  He 
gave  the  embassadors  a  courteous  response,  but,  turn- 
ing to  his  officers,  he  said, 

"This  is  truly  a  rich  and  a  powerful  prince.  Yet 
it  shall  go  hard  but  we  v/ill  one  day  pay  him  a  visit 
in  his  capital." 

"At  this  moment,"  says  Diaz,  "the  bell  tolled  for 
the  Ave  Maria,  and  all  of  us  fell  upon  our  knees 
before  the  holy  cross.  The  Mexican  noblemen  being 
very  inquisitive  to  know  the  meaning  of  this,  Cortez 
hinted  to  the  reverend  father  Olmedo  the  propriety  of 
a  sermon,  such  as  should  convey  to  them  the  truths 
of  our  holy  faith.  Father  Olmedo  accordingly  preached, 
like  an  excellent  theologian  which  he  was,  explaining 
the  mysteries  of  the  cross,  at  the  sight  of  which  the 
evil  beings  they  worshiped  as  gods  fled  away.  These 
subjects,  and  much  more,  he  dilated  upon.  It  was 
perfectly  explained  to  the  Mexicans  and  understood 
by  them,  and  they  promised  to  relate  all  they  had 
seen  and  heard  to  their  sovereign.  He  also  declared 
to  them  that  among  the  principal  objects  of  our  mis- 
sion thiiher  were  those  of  putting  a  stop  to  human 
sacrifices,  injustices  and  idolatrous  worship;  and  then, 
presenting  \hem  with  an  image  of  our  Holy  Virgin, 
with  her  son  in  her  arms,  he  desired  them  to  take  it 


8o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

with  them,  to  venerate  it,  and  to  plant  crosses  similar 
to  that  before  them  in  their  temples." 

The  embassadors  again  retired  with  dignity  and 
with  courtesy,  yet  with  reserve  indicative  of  deep  dis- 
pleasure at  the  pertinacity  of  the  Spaniards.  That 
night  every  hut  of  the  natives  was  abandoned.  When 
the  morning  sun  arose,  silence  and  solitude  reigned 
upon  the  spot  which  had  so  recently  witnessed  the 
Hfe  and  clamor  of  an  innumerable  multitude.  Cortez 
and  his  companions  were  left  alone.  The  long  hours 
of  the  tropical  day  passed  slowly,  and  no  native  ap- 
proached the  encampment.  No  food  was  to  be  ob- 
tained. Not  only  was  all  friendly  intercourse  thus 
suspended,  but  the  Spaniards  had  much  reason  to  fear 
that  preparations  were  making  for  an  assault.  The 
murmuring  in  the  camp  increased.  Two  parties  were 
formed:  one  party  were  in  favor  of  returning  to  Cuba, 
affirming  that  it  was  madness  to  think  of  the  subju- 
gation by  force  of  arms  of  so  mighty  an  empire 
with  so  feeble  an  armament.  One  of  the  generals, 
Diego  de  Ordaz,  was  deputed  by  the  disaffected 
to  communicate  these  sentiments  to  Cortez,  and 
to  assure  him  that  it  was  the  general  voice  of  the 
army. 

The  shrewdness  of  this  extraordinary  man  was 
peculiarly  conspicuous  in  this  crisis.  He  promptly, 
and  apparently  with  cordiality,  assented  to  their 
views,  and  began  to  make  arrangements  to  relinquish 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  81 

the  enterprise.  Orders  were  issued  to  commence  the 
re-embarkation. 

While  thus  dissimulating,  he  roused  his  friends  to 
effort,  and  secretly  employed  all  his  powers  to  excite 
a  mutiny  in  the  camp  against  a  return.  Every  mo- 
tive was  plied  to  stimulate  the  bold  and  the  avari- 
cious to  persevere  in  an  undertaking  where  glory  and 
wealth  held  out  such  attractions.  His  emissaries  were 
completely  successful.  The  whole  camp  was  in  a 
ferment.  Before  the  sun  went  down,  a  large  party 
of  the  soldiers  surrounded  his  tent,  as  in  open  mutiny. 
They  declared  that,  having  entered  upon  a  majestic 
enterprise,  it  was  poltroonery  to  abandon  it  upon  the 
first  aspect  of  danger;  that  they  were  determined  to 
persevere,  and  that,  if  Cortez  wished  to  return  with 
the  cowards  to  Cuba,  they  would  instantly  choose 
another  general  to  guide  them  in  the  career  of  glory 
upon  which  they  had  entered. 

Cortez  was  delighted  with  the  success  of  his 
stratagem.  He,  however,  affected  surprise,  and  de- 
clared that  his  orders  for  re-embarking  were  issued 
from  the  persuasion  that  the  troops  wished  to  return; 
that,  to  gratify  them,  he  had  been  willing  to  sacrifice 
his  own  private  judgment.  He  assured  the  mutineers 
that  it  afforded  him  the  highest  gratification  to  find 
that  they  were  true  Castilians,  with  minds  elevated  to 
the  accomplishment  of  heroic  deeds.  He  affirmed 
that  before  such  strong  arms  and  bold  hearts  all  peril 

M.  of  H.— XV— 6 


82  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

would  vanish.  The  applause  with  which  this  speech 
was  greeted  was  so  long  and  enthusiastic  that  even 
the  murmurers  were  soon  induced  to  join  the  acclama- 
tions. Thus  adroitly  Cortez  again  enthroned  himself 
as  the  undisputed  chieftain  of  an  enthusiastic  band. 

He  decided  immediately  to  establish  a  settlement 
on  the  sea-coast  as  the  nucleus  of  a  colony.  From 
that  point  as  the  basis  of  operations,  he  would,  with 
the  terrors  of  artillery  and  cavalry,  boldly  penetrate 
the  interior.  He  assembled  the  principal  officers  of 
the  army,  and  by  their  suffrages  elected  the  magis- 
trates and  a  council  for  the  new  colony.  He  skillfully 
so  arranged  it  that  all  the  magistrates  chosen  were 
his  warm  partisans. 

The  council  assembled  for  the  organization  of  the 
government.  As  soon  as  the  assembly  was  convened, 
Cortez  asked  permission  to  enter  it.  Bowing  with 
the  most  profound  respect  before  the  new  govern- 
ment thus  organized,  that  he  might  set  an  example 
of  the  most  humble  and  submissive  obedience,  he  ad- 
dressed them  in  the  following  terms: 

"  By  the  establishment  of  the  colony  and  the  or- 
ganization of  the  colonial  government,  this  august 
tribunal  is  henceforth  invested  with  supreme  jurisdic- 
tion, and  is  clothed  with  the  authority,  and  represents 
the  person  of  the  sovereign.  I  accordingly  present 
myself  before  you  with  the  same  dutiful  fidelity  as  if  I 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  83 

were  addressing  my  royal  master,  The  safety  of  this 
colony,  threatened  by  the  hostility  of  a  mighty  em- 
pire, depends  upon  the  subordination  and  discipline 
preserved  among  the  troops.  But  my  right  to  com- 
mand is  derived  from  a  commission  granted  by  the 
Governor  of  Cuba.  As  that  commission  has  been 
long  since  revoked,  my  right  to  command  may  well 
be  questioned.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  in  the 
present  condition  of  affairs,  that  the  commander-in- 
chief  should  not  act  upon  a  dubious  title.  There  is 
now  required  the  most  implicit  obedience  to  orders, 
and  the  army  can  not  act  with  efficiency  if  it  has 
any  occasion  to  dispute  the  powers  of  its  general. 

^  Moved  by  these  considerations,  I  now  resign 
into  your  hands,  as  the  representatives  of  the  sover- 
eign, all  my  authority.  As  you  alone  have  the  right 
to  choose,  and  the  power  to  confer  full  jurisdiction, 
upon  you  it  devolves  to  choose  some  one,  in  the 
king's  name,  to  guide  the  army  in  its  future  opera- 
tions. For  my  own  part,  such  is  my  zeal  in  the 
service  in  which  we  are  engaged,  that  I  would  most 
cheerfully  take  up  a  pike  with  the  same  hand  which 
lays  down  the  general's  truncheon,  and  convince  my 
fellow-soldiers  that,  though  accustomed  to  command, 
I  have  not  forgotten  how  to  obey." 

Thus  saying,  he  laid  his  commission  from  Velas- 
quez upon  the  table,  and  after  kissing  his  truncheon, 


84  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

delivered  it  to  thy  chief  magistrate  and  withdrew. 
This  was  consummate  acting.  The  succeeding  steps 
were  all  previously  arranged.  He  was  immediately 
elected,  by  unanimous  suffrage,  chief  justice  of  the 
colony,  and  captain  general  of  the  army.  His  com- 
mission was  oidered  to  be  made  out  in  the  name  of 
Charles  V.  of  Spain,  and  was  to  continue  in  force 
until  the  royal  pleasure  should  be  farther  known. 
The  troops  were  immediately  assembled  and  informed 
of  the  resolve.  They  ratified  it  with  unbounded  ap- 
plause. The  air  resounded  with  acclamations,  and  all 
vowed  obedience,  even  to  death,  to  the  authority  of 
Cortez.  Thus  adroitly  this  bold  adventurer  shook  off 
his  dependence  upon  Velasquez,  and  assumed  the 
dignity  of  an  independent  governor,  responsible  only 
to  his  sovereign. 

There  were  a  few  adherents  of  Velasquez  who 
remonstrated  against  these  unprecedented  measures. 
Cortez,  with  characteristic  energy,  seized  them  and 
placed  them  in  imprisonment,  loaded  with  chains,  on 
board  one  of  the  ships.  This  rigor  overawed  and  si- 
lenced the  rest.  Cortez,  however,  soon  succeeded, 
by  flattering  attentions  and  by  gifts,  in  securing  a 
cordial  reconciliation  with  his  opponents.  He  was 
now  strong  in  undisputed  authority. 

In  the  midst  of  these  events,  one  day  five  Indians 
of  rank  came,  in  rather  a  mysterious  manner,  to  the 
camp,  and   solicited  an  interview  with  Cortez.     They 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  8$ 

represented  themselves  as  envoys  from  the  chief  of 
Zempoalla,  a  large  town  at  no  great  distance.  This 
chief  reigned  over  the  powerful  nation  of  Totonacs. 
His  people  had  been  conquered  by  Montezuma,  and 
annexed  to  the  Mexican  empire.  They  were  restive 
under  the  yoke,  and  would  gladly  avail  themselves  of 
an  alliance  with  the  Spaniards  to  regain  their  inde- 
pendence. 

Cortez  listened  eagerly  to  this  statement.  It  pre- 
sented just  the  opportunity  which  he  desired.  He  saw 
at  once  that  by  exciting  civil  war,  and  arraying  one 
portion  of  the  empire  against  another,  he  might  ac- 
complish his  ends.  He  also  judged  that,  in  an  em- 
pire so  vast,  there  must  be  other  provinces  where 
disaffection  could  be  excited.  He  therefore  received 
these  envoys  most  graciously,  and  promised  very  soon 
to  visit  their  metropolis. 

The  spot  where  Cortez  had  landed  was  not  a  good 
location  for  the  establishment  of  a  city.  A  party  was 
sent  along  the  coast  to  seek  a  better  harbor  for  the 
ships  and  a  more  eligible  site  for  the  city.  At  the 
expiration  of  twelve  days  the  party  returned,  having 
discovered  a  fine  harbor  and  fertile  soil  at  a  little  vil- 
lage called  Quiabislan,  about  forty  miles  to  the  north- 
ward. This  village  was  fortunately  but  a  few  miles 
distant  from  Zempoalla.  Most  of  the  heavy  guns 
were  re-embarked,  and  the  fleet  was  ordered  to  coast 
along  the  shore  to  the  appointed  rendezvous  at  Quia- 


86  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

bislan.  Then,  heading  his  troops,  he  set  out  on  a 
bold  march  across  the  country  to  meet  his  fleet,  ar- 
ranging to  pass  through  Zempoalla  by  the  way. 

The  beauty  of  the  country  through  which  they 
marched  entranced  the  hearts  even  of  these  stern 
warriors.  They  were  never  weary  of  expressing  their 
delight  in  view  of  the  terrestrial  paradise  which  they 
had  discovered.  When  the  Spaniards  had  arrived 
within  three  miles  of  Zempoalla,  a  delegation  met 
them  from  the  city,  accompanied  by  a  vast  concourse 
of  men  and  women.  The  adventurers  were  greeted 
with  courteous  words,  and  gifts  of  gold,  and  fruits, 
and  flowers.  The  natives  possessed  many  attractions 
of  person,  and  their  frank  and  friendly  manners  were 
peculiarly  winning.  A  singular  degree  of  mental  re- 
finement was  to  be  seen  in  their  passionate  love  of 
flowers,  with  which  they  adorned  their  persons,  and 
which  bloomed,  in  the  utmost  profusion,  around  their 
dwellings.  Cortez  and  his  steed  were  almost  covered 
with  wreaths  and  garlands  of  roses,  woven  by  the 
fair  hands  of  his  newly-found  friends. 

The  Spaniards  were  quite  amazed  in  entering  the 
city  of  Zempoalla.  They  found  a  beautiful  town, 
with  streets  perfectly  clean  —  for  they  had  no  beasts 
of  burden  —  lined  with  spacious  stone  houses,  and 
shaded  with  ornamental  trees.  These  paved  streets 
were  kept  almost  as  free  from  litter  as  a  parlor  floor, 
and  they  were   thronged   with,    apparently,  a    refined 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  87 

and  happy  people.  A  tropical  sun,  whose  rays  were 
tempered  by  the  ocean  breeze,  fell  warmly  upon 
them  during  all  the  months  of  the  year.  Soil  of  as- 
tonishing fertility  supplied  them  abundantly  with 
food,  while  a  genial  climate  invited  them  to  indulgence 
and  repose.  At  first  glance  it  would  seem  that  the 
doom  of  Adam's  fall  had  not  yet  reached  the  dwell- 
ings of  Zempoalla.  A  few  hours'  residence  in  the 
city,  however,  conclusively  proved  that  here,  as  else- 
where, man  is  born  to  mourn. 

As  Cortez  entered  the  gates  of  the  city,  he  was 
met  and  welcomed  with  great  pomp  by  the  cacique 
of  Zempoalla.  He  was  excessively  corpulent,  but  very 
polite  and  highly  polished  in  his  manners.  Marina 
and  Aguilar  acted  as  interpreters. 

"1  am  come,"  said  Cortez,  "from  the  ends  of  the 
earth.  I  serve  a  monarch  who  is  powerful,  and  whose 
goodness  equals  his  power.  He  has  sent  me  hither, 
that  I  may  give  some  account  of  the  inhabitants  of 
this  part  of  the  world.  He  has  commanded  me  to  do 
good  to  all  men,  and  particularly  to  aid  the  oppressed 
and  to  punish  their  oppressors.  To  you,  Lord  of 
Zempoalla,  I  offer  my  services.  Whatever  you  may 
command,  I  and  my  troops  will  cheerfully  perform." 

The  cacique  of  Zempoalla  replied, 

"  Gracious  stranger,  1  can  not  sufficiently  commend 
your  benevolence,  and  none  can  stand  more  in  need 
of  it.     You  see  before    you  a  man  wearied  out   with 


$S  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

unmerited  wrongs.  I  and  my  people  are  crushed  and 
trodden  under  foot  by  the  most  tyrannical  power 
upon  earth.  We  were  once  an  independent  and  a 
happy  people,  but  the  prosperity  of  the  Totonacs  is 
now  destroyed.  The  power  of  our  nobles  is  gone. 
We  are  robbed  of  the  produce  of  cur  fields.  Our  sons 
are  torn  from  us  for  sacrifices,  and  our  daughters  for 
slaves. 

"The  Mexicans  are  our  conquerors  and  oppressors. 
They  heap  these  calamities  upon  us,  robbing  us  of 
our  substance,  and  despoiling  us  of  our  children.  In 
the  pride  of  aggression,  they  have  marched  from  con- 
quest to  conquest,  till  they  gather  tribute  from  every 
land.  And  now,  mighty  warrior,  we  implore  of  thy 
strength  and  kindness  that  thou  wouldst  enable  us  to 
resist  these  tyrants,  and  deliver  us  from  their  exac- 
tions." 

Cortez  warily  replied:  "I  will  gladly  aid  you,  but 
let  us  not  be  rash.  I  will  dwell  with  you  a  while, 
and  whenever  I  shall  see  a  suitable  occasion  to  pun- 
ish your  enemies  and  to  relieve  you  from  their  im- 
positions, you  may  rely  upon  my  aid  to  humble  their 
pride  and  power." 

The  rugged  army  of  Cortez  then  advanced  through 
the  streets  of  Zempoalla  to  the  spacious  court-yard  of 
the  temple  assigned  for  their  accommodation.  As  in 
solid  column,  with  floating  banners  and  bugle  notes, 
they   paraded   the   streets,  headed   by   the  cavalry   of 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  89 

sixteen  horses,  animals  the  Totonacs  had  never  seen 
before,  and  followed  by  the  lumbering  artillery,  in- 
struments, in  the  eyes  of  the  Totonacs,  of  supernatu- 
ral power,  which,  with  thunder  roar,  sped  lightning 
bolts,  the  natives  gazed  with  admiration  upon  the  im- 
posing spectacle,  and  the  air  resounded  with  their 
applause. 

The  next  morning  Cortez,  with  most  of  his  army, 
continued  his  march  some  twelve  miles  farther  to 
meet  his  fleet  at  Quiabislan.  The  cacique  hospitably 
sent  with  him  four  hundred  men  of  burden  to  convey 
his  baggage.  The  spot  which  had  been  selected  as 
the  site  of  the  new  town,  which  was  to  be  the  cap- 
ital of  the  Spanish  colony,  met  the  approbation  of 
Cortez.  He  immediately  commenced  erecting  huts 
and  surrounding  the  town  with  fortifications  of  suffi- 
cient strength  to  resist  any  assault  from  the  natives. 
Every  man  in  the  army,  the  officers  as  well  as  the 
soldiers,  engaged  laboriously  in  this  work.  No  one 
toiled  in  this  enterprise  with  more  patient  endurance 
than  the  extraordinary  commander  of  this  extraordinary 
band.  The  Totonacs  from  Zempoalla  and  Quiabislan, 
encouraged  by  their  caciques,  also  lent  their  aid  to 
the  enterprise  with  hearty  good  will.  Thousands  of 
hands  were  thus  employed;  provisions  flowed  into  the 
camp  in  all  abundance,  and  the  works  proceeded 
with  great  rapidity.  The  vicinity  was  densely  popu- 
lated, and  large  numbers  of  the  listless  natives,  women 


9o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

and  children,  were  attracted  to  the  spot  to  witness 
the  busy  scene,  so  novel  and  so  exciting 

But  such  proceedings  could  not  escape  the  vigi- 
lance of  the  officers  of  Montezuma.  In  the  midst  of 
this  state  of  things,  suddenly  one  day  a  strange  com- 
motion was  witnessed  in  the  crowd,  and  the  natives, 
both  people  and  chiefs,  gave  indications  of  great  ter- 
ror. Five  strangers  appeared  —  tall,  imposing  men, 
with  bouquets  of  flowers  in  their  hands,  and  followed 
by  obsequious  attendants.  Haughtily  these  strangers 
passed  through  the  place,  looking  sternly  upon  the 
Spaniards,  without  deigning  to  address  them  either 
by  a  word  or  a  gesture.  They  were  lords  from  the 
court  of  Montezuma.  Their  power  was  invincible  and 
terrible.  They  had  witnessed  with  their  own  eyes 
these  rebellious  indications  of  the  subjects  of  Mexico. 
The  chiefs  of  the  Totonacs  turned  pale  with  conster- 
nation.    All  this  was  explained  to  Cortez  by  Marina. 

The  Totonac  chiefs  were  imperiously  summoned 
to  appear  immediately  before  the  lords  of  Montezuma. 
Like  terrified  children  they  obeyed.  Soon  they  re- 
turned, trembling,  to  Cortez,  and  informed  him  that 
the  Mexican  lords  were  indignant  at  the  support 
which  they  had  afforded  the  Spaniards,  contrary  to 
the  express  will  of  their  emperor,  and  that  they  de- 
manded as  the  penalty  twenty  young  men  and  twenty 
young  women  of  the  Totonacs,  to  be  offered  in  sacri- 
fice to  their  gods. 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  91 

Cortez  assumed  an  air  of  indignation  and  of  au- 
thority as  he  eagerly  availed  himself  of  this  oppor- 
tunity of  promoting  an  open  rupture  between  the 
Totonacs  and  the  Mexicans.  He  declared  that  he 
would  never  consent  to  any  such  abominable  practices 
of  heathenism.  He  haughtily  commanded  the  Totonac 
chiefs  immediately  to  arrest  the  lords  of  Montezuma, 
and  throw  them  into  prison.  The  poor  chiefs  were 
appalled  beyond  measure  at  the  very  idea  of  an  act 
so  irrevocable  and  so  unpardonable.  They  had  long 
been  accustomed  to  consider  Montezuma  as  possessing 
power  which  nothing  on  earth  could  resist.  Monte- 
zuma swayed  the  scepter  of  a  Caesar,  and  bold  in- 
deed must  he  be  who  would  venture  to  brave  his 
wrath. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  they  had  already  offended 
beyond  hope  of  pardon  by  entertaining  the  intruders 
contrary  to  the  positive  command  of  their  sovereign. 
Twenty  of  their  sons  and  daughters  were  to  bleed 
upon  the  altars  of  sacrifice.  Their  only  hope  was 
now  in  Cortez.  Should  he  abandon  them,  they  were 
ruined  hopelessly.  They  deemed  it  possible  that, 
with  the  thunder  and  the  lightning  at  his  command, 
he  might  be  able  to  set  at  defiance  that  mighty  Mex- 
ican power  which  had  hitherto  been  found  invincible. 

In  this  dreadful  dilemma,  they  yielded  to  the  inex- 
orable demand  of  Cortez,  and  tremblingly  arrested 
the  Mexican   lords.     The   Rubicon   was   now   passed. 


^2  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

The  Totonacs  were  from  that  moment  the  abject 
slaves  of  Cortez.  Their  only  protection  from  the 
most  awful  doom  was  in  his  strong  arm,  and  their 
persons,  their  property,  their  all,  were  entirely  at  his 
disposal. 

Cortez  then  condescended  to  perform  a  deed  of 
cunning  and  of  perfidy  which  has  left  a  stain  upon 
his  character  which  never  can  be  washed  away.  In 
the  night  he  ordered  one  of  his  people  secretly  to  as- 
sist two  of  the  Mexican  lords  in  their  escape.  They 
were  privately  brought  into  his  presence.  With  guile- 
ful words,  which  ought  to  have  blistered  his  tongue, 
he  declared  that  they,  by  their  arrest,  had  received 
insult  and  outrage  from  the  Totonacs,  which  he  sin- 
cerely regretted,  and  would  gladly  have  prevented. 
He  assured  them  of  the  great  pleasure  which  it  af- 
forded him  to  aid  them  in  their  escape.  He  promised 
to  do  every  thing  in  his  power  to  secure  the  release 
of  the  others,  and  wished  them  to  return  to  the  court 
of  their  monarch,  and  assure  him  of  the  friendly 
spirit  of  the  Spaniards,  of  which  this  act  was  to  be  a 
conspicuous  proof.  He  then  sent  six  strong  rowers 
to  convey  them  secretly  in  a  boat  beyond  the  reach 
of  pursuit.  The  next  morning,  in  the  same  guileful 
way,  all  the  rest  were  liberated,  and  sent  with  a  simi- 
lar message  to  the  court  of  Montezuma. 

Such  was  the  treachery  with  which  Cortez  re- 
warded his  faithful  allies.     With  perfidy  so  detestable, 


FOUNDING  A  COLONY  93 

he  endeavored  to  foment  civil  discord  in  the  empire 
of  Montezuma,  pretending  to  be  himself  the  friend  of 
each  of  the  parties  whose  hostility  he  had  excited, 
and  ready  to  espouse  either  side  which  might  ap- 
pear most  available  for  the  promotion  of  his  am- 
bitious plans.  History  has  no  language  too  severe 
to  condemn  an  action  so  utterly  abominable.  It 
is  treason  to  virtue  to  speak  mildly  of  atrocious 
crime. 

Cortez  named  the  infant  city  he  was  erecting  The 
Rich  City  of  the  True  Cross,  Villa  Rica  de  la  Vera 
Cru%.  "The  two  principles  of  avarice  and  enthu- 
siasm," says  Robertson,  "which  prompted  the  Span- 
iards in  all  their  enterprises  in  the  New  World,  seem 
to  have  concurred  in  suggesting  the  name  which 
Cortez  bestowed  on  his  infant  settlement."  This  city 
was  a  few  miles  north  of  the  present  city  of  Vera 
Cruz. 

While  Cortez  was  busily  employed  in  laying  the 
foundations  of  his  colony,  and  gathering  around  him 
native  aid  in  preparation  for  a  march  into  the  interior, 
another  embassy  from  the  court  of  Montezuma  ap- 
peared in  the  busy  streets  of  Vera  Cruz.  The  Mexi- 
can emperor,  alarmed  by  the  tidings  he  received  of 
the  persistent  boldness  of  the  Spaniards,  and  of  their 
appalling  and  supernatural  power,  deemed  it  wise  to 
accept  the  courtesy  which  had  been  offered  him  in 
the  liberation  of  his  imprisoned  lords,  and  to  adopt  a 


94  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

conciliatory  policy.  The  Totonacs  were  amazed  by 
this  evidence  that  even  the  mighty  Montezuma  was 
overawed  by  the  power  of  the  Spaniards.  This 
greatly  increased  their  veneration  for  their  European 
allies. 


CHAPTER    V. 

The   Tlascalans  Subjugated. 

Exultation  of  the  Totonacs. —  The  eight  maidens  and  their  baptism. —  Endeav- 
ors to  induce  the  acceptance  of  Christianity. —  The  result. —  Fanaticism 
of  the  Spaniards. —  Destruction  of  the  idols.- -Dismay  of  the  Indians. — 
Celebration  of  mass. —  The  harangue. —  The  change. —  Emotions  of  the 
natives. —  They  accept  the  new  idols. —  Cortez's  embarrassment  respect- 
ing his  commission. —  The  letter. —  Anticipation  of  wealth. —  Presents. — 
Embassadors  sent  to  the  king. —  Punishment  of  the  conspirators. —  Dis- 
turbing developments. —  Destruction  of  the  fleet. —  Indignation  of  the 
soldiers. —  Cortez  wins  the  approval  of  his  men. —  Preparations  for  the 
journey. —  The  departure  and  march  to  Mexico. —  Arrival  of  a  strange 
vessel, —  Capture  of  prisoners. —  The  stratagem. —  The  re-enforcement. — 
They  arrive  at  Jalapa. —  Naulinco. —  Erection  of  the  cross. —  Ascent  of 
the  Cordilleras. —  The  city  of  Tlatlanquitepec—  Indications  of  idolatry. — 
A  cold  reception. —  Cortez's  mission. —  His  commands,  and  their  refusal 
to  obey. —  Advice  of  Father  Olmedo. —  Arrival  at  Xalacingo. —  Friendly 
treatment. —  Embassadors  to  the  Tlascalan  capital. —  They  are  seized, 
but  escape. —  The  Spaniards  determine  to  force  a  passage. —  The  attack. 
—  The  Tlascalans  forced  to  retire. —  Destruction  of  the  provisions. —  The 
sacrament. —  Chivalry  of  the  barbarians. —  A  supply  of  provisions. —  En- 
counter the  enemy. —  Confession.— Release  of  the  captive  chiefs. —  Tlas- 
calanian  mode  of  making  peace. —  Cortez  prepares  for  battle. —  The 
battle. —  Courage  of  the  enemy. —  The  natives  vanquished. —  Surprise  at 
the  small  losses  of  the  Spaniards. —  Courage  of  the  Spaniards  accounted 
for. —  The  midnight  foray. —  The  Tlascalanians  sue  for  peace. —  Cruel 
treatment  of  the  embassadors. —  The  Tlascalans  subdued. —  Speech  of 
the  commander-in-chief. —  They  march  to  the  city  of  Tlascala. —  Appear- 
ance of  the  city. —  Treatment  of  the  vanquished  natives. —  Peril  of 
Cortez's  army. —  Murmurs  dispelled. —  Population  of  the  city. 

The  Totonacs  were  now  exceedingly  exultant. 
They  were  unwearied  in  extolling  their  allies, 
and  in  proclaiming  their  future  independence 
of  their  Mexican  conquerors.  They  urged  other  neigh- 
boring provinces  to  join  them,  and  become  the  vassals 

(95) 


96  HERNANDO  CORTEZ 

of  the  omnipotent  Spaniards.  They  raised  a  strong 
army,  which  they  placed  under  the  command  of 
Cortez  to  obey  his  bidding.  To  strengthen  the  bonds 
of  alliance,  the  cacique  of  Zempoalla  selected  eight  of 
the  most  beautiful  maidens  of  his  country,  all  of  the 
first  families,  to  be  united  in  marriage  to  the  Spanish 
generals.  Cortez  courteously  but  decisively  informed 
the  chief  that,  before  such  union  could  be  consum- 
mated, these  maidens  must  all  renounce  idolatry  and 
be  baptized.  The  Totonacs,  without  much  apparent 
reluctance,  yielded.  Emboldened  by  this  success, 
Cortez  now  made  very  strenuous  efforts  to  induce  the 
chief  and  all  the  tribe  to  abandon  their  idols  and  the 
cruel  rites  of  heathenism,  and  to  accept  in  their  stead 
the  symbols  of  Christianity. 

But  upon  this  point  the  cacique  was  inflexible. 
"We  honor  your  friendship,  noble  Cortez,"  he  firmly 
replied,  "and  we  are  grateful  to  you  for  the  generous 
interest  you  take  in  our  welfare;  but  the  gods  are 
greater  than  man.  Earthly  benefactors  are  but  the 
ministers  of  their  favor.  Gratitude  to  the  gods  is 
our  first  duty.  Health,  plenty,  all  blessings  are  from 
their  bounty.  We  dread  their  anger  more  than  the 
displeasure  of  the  mightiest  of  men.  Should  we  offend 
them,  inevitable  destruction  will  overwhelm  me  and 
my  people." 

Cortez  was  provoked  by  such  obstinacy.  He  was 
incapable  of  appreciating  the  nobility  of  these  senti- 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED         97 

ments,  and  of  perceiving  that  such  minds  needed  but 
instruction  to  lead  them  to  reverence  the  true  God. 
The  sincere  idolater,  who  worships  according  to  the 
little  knowledge  he  has,  is  immeasurably  elevated,  in 
dignity  of  character,  above  the  mere  nominal  Christian, 
who  knows  the  true  God,  and  yet  disregards  him. 
But  Cortez,  inspired  by  fanatic  zeal,  treated  these 
men,  who  deserved  tender  consideration,  with  insult 
and  contempt.  He  resolved  recklessly  to  demolish 
their  idols,  and  to  compel  the  Totonacs  to  receive  in 
exchange  the  images  of  Rome. 

He  immediately  assembled  his  soldiers,  and  thus 
addressed  them:  "Soldiers!  We  are  Spaniards.  We 
inherit  from  our  ancestors  the  love  of  our  holy  faith. 
Let  us  prostrate  these  vile  images.  Let  us  plant  the 
cross,  and  call  the  heathen  to  the  feet  of  that  holy 
symbol.  Heaven  will  never  smile  upon  our  enterprise 
if  we  countenance  the  atrocities  of  heathenism.  For 
my  part,  1  am  resolved  that  these  pagan  idols  shall 
be  destroyed  this  very  hour,  even  if  it  cost  me  my 
life." 

The  fanaticism  of  the  Spaniards  was  now  effectu- 
ally roused.  In  solid  column,  a  strong  division  marched 
toward  one  of  the  most  imposing  of  the  Totonac 
temples.  The  alarm  spread  wildly  through  the  thronged 
streets  of  Zempoalla.  The  whole  population  seized 
their  arms  to  defend  their  gods.  A  scene  of  fearful 
confusion    ensued.      Firmly    the    inflexible    Spaniards 

M.  ofH.— xv— 7 


98  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

strode  on.  Fifty  men  ascended  the  winding  stairs  to 
the  summit  of  the  pyramidal  temple,  tore  down  the 
massive  wooden  idols,  and  tumbled  them  into  the 
streets.  They  then  collected  the  mutilated  fragments, 
and  burned  them  to  ashes.  The  Indians  looked  on  in 
dismay,  with  tears  and  groans. 

The  heathen  temple  was  then  emptied,  swept,  and 
garnished.  The  Totonac  chiefs,  and  the  priests  clot- 
ted with  the  blood  of  their  brutal  sacrifices,  now 
docile  as  children,  obeyed  obsequiously  the  demands 
of  the  haughty  reformer.  He  ordered  these  unen- 
lightened pagan  priests  to  have  their  heads  shorn,  to 
be  dressed  in  the  white  robes  of  the  Catholic  priest- 
hood, and,  with  lighted  candles  in  their  hands,  they 
were  constrained  to  assist  in  performing  the  rites  of 
the  papal  Church.  An  image  of  the  Virgin  was  in- 
stalled in  the  shrine  which  had  been  polluted  by  all 
the  horrid  orgies  of  pagan  abominations.  Mass  was 
celebrated  upon  the  altar  where  human  hearts,  gory 
and  quivering,  had  for  ages  been  offered  in  awful 
sacrifice.  The  prayers  and  the  chants  of  Christianity 
ascended  from  the  spot  where  idolaters  had  slain 
their  victims  and  implored  vengeance  upon  their 
foes. 

Cortez  then  himself  earnestly  and  eloquently  ha- 
rangued the  people,  assuring  them  that  henceforth 
the  Spaniards  and  the  Totonacs  were  Christian  broth- 
ers, and  that  under  the  protection  of  the  Holy  Virgin, 


TLASCALANS  SUBJUGATED  99 

the  mother  of  Christ,  they  would  both  certainly  be 
blessed. 

Violent  as  were  these  deeds,  it  is  undeniable  that 
they  ushered  in  a  blessed  change.  The  very  lowest 
and  most  corrupt  form  of  Christianity  is  infinitely  su- 
perior to  the  most  refined  creations  of  paganism.  The 
natives  gradually  recovered  from  their  terror.  They 
gazed  with  admiration  upon  the  pageant  of  the  mass, 
with  its  gorgeous  accompaniments  of  incense,  music, 
embroidered  robes,  and  solemn  processions.  The 
Spanish  historians  who  witnessed  the  scene  record 
that  many  of  the  Indians  were  so  overcome  with 
pious  emotion,  in  thus  beholding,  for  the  first  time, 
the  mysteries  of  Christianity,  that  they  freely  wept. 
No  more  resistance  was  made.  The  Totonacs,  thus 
easily  converted,  apparently  with  cheerfulness  ex- 
changed the  bloody  and  hideous  idols  of  Mexico  for 
the  more  attractive  and  more  merciful  idols  of  Rome. 
Let  not  this  remark  be  attributed  to  want  of  candor; 
for  no  one  can  deny  that,  to  these  uninstructed  na- 
tives, it  was  merely  an  exchange  of  idols. 

Cortez  had  now  been  in  Mexico  nearly  three 
months.  Every  moment  had  been  occupied  in  the 
accomplishment  of  objects  which  he  deemed  of  fun- 
damental importance.  He  was,  however,  evidently 
somewhat  embarrassed  respecting  the  validity  of  his 
title  to  command.  It  was  at  least  doubtful  whether 
the  king  would   recognize  the   authority  of  a  colony 


ioo  HERNANDO  CORTEZ 

established  in  so  novel  a  manner.  Cortez  also  well 
knew  that  Velasquez  would  apply  to  his  sovereign 
for  redress  for  the  injuries  which  he  had  received. 
The  danger  was  by  no  means  small  that,  by  the  com- 
mand of  the  king,  Cortez  would  be  degraded  and 
punished  as  a  usurper  of  power. 

Before  commencing  his  march  into  the  interior,  he 
deemed  it  of  the  utmost  importance  to  take  every 
possible  precaution  against  this  danger.  He  influenced 
the  magistrates  of  Vera  Cruz  to  address  a  letter  to  the 
Spanish  sovereign  in  justification  of  the  course  which 
had  been  pursued,  and  to  implore  the  king  to  ratify 
what  had  been  done  in  his  name,  and  to  confirm 
Cortez  in  the  supreme  command.  Cortez  also  wrote 
himself  a  long  and  labored  letter  to  the  Emperor 
Charles  V.,  full  of  protestations  of  loyalty  and  of  zeal 
for  the  wealth  and  the  renown  of  the  Spanish  court. 
To  add  weight  to  his  letter,  it  was  accompanied  by 
as  rich  treasures  from  the  New  World  as  he  had  thus 
far  been  able  to  accumulate.  Such  was  the  ascend- 
ency which  this  extraordinary  man  had  attained  over 
the  minds  of  his  associates,  and  so  confident  were 
they  in  their  anticipations  of  boundless  wealth,  that 
all  the  soldiers,  without  a  murmur,  at  the  suggestion 
of  Cortez,  relinquished  their  part  of  the  public  treas- 
ure, that  the  whole  might  be  sent  to  the  king.  Two 
of  the  chief  magistrates  of  the  colony,  Portocarrero 
and  Montejo,  were   sent   in    one   of  the   two   vessels 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED       101 

which  were  fitted  out  to  Spain  to  convey  these  letters 
and  presents.  They  were  directed  not  to  stop  at  the 
island  of  Cuba,  lest  they  should  be  detained  by  Velas- 
quez. "Ere  they  embarked,  mass  was  celebrated  and 
prayers  were  offered  for  a  prosperous  voyage.  It  was 
now  the  month  of  July,   15 19. 

Just  after  the  vessels  had  sailed,  Cortez  was  much 
disturbed  by  a  dangerous  conspiracy  which  broke  out 
in  the  camp.  Some  of  the  disaffected,  who  had  been 
silenced,  but  not  reconciled,  with  great  secresy  ma- 
tured a  plan  for  seizing  one  of  the  brigantines  and 
making  their  escape  to  Cuba.  The  conspirators  had 
actually  gone  on  board  the  vessel,  and  were  ready  to 
weigh  the  anchor  and  spread  the  sails,  when  one  of 
the  number  repented  of  his  treachery,  and  disclosed  the 
plot  to  Cortez. 

The  stern  chieftain  immediately  went  himself  on 
board  the  vessel.  The  crime  was  too  palpable  to  be 
denied.  He  ordered  all  to  be  seized  and  brought  on 
shore.  Cortez  resolved  to  punish  with  a  severity 
which  should  intimidate  against  any  renewal  of  a 
similar  attempt.  The  two  ringleaders  were  imme- 
diately put  to  death.  The  pilot  had  one  of  his  feet 
cut  off.  Two  of  the  sailors  received  two  hundred 
lashes.     The  rest  were  spared. 

It  is  recorded  that  Cortez,  as  he  was  ratifying  this 
sentence,  gave  a  deep  sigh,  and  exclaimed, 

"How  happy  is  he  who  is  not  able  to  write,  and 


102  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

is  thereby  prevented  from  signing  the  death-warrants 
of  men! " 

But  this  development  of  disaffection  disturbed 
Cortez  exceedingly.  He  was  about  to  march  two 
hundred  miles  into  the  interior.  It  would  be  neces- 
sary to  leave  a  garrison  at  Vera  Cruz.  The  fleet 
would  be  lying  idly  at  anchor  in  the  harbor.  A  more 
successful  attempt  might  be  made  during  his  absence; 
and  Velasquez,  informed  thus  of  his  position,  might 
easily  send,  from  the  powerful  colony  of  Cuba,  a 
force  sufficient  to  take  possession  of  Vera  Cruz,  and 
thus  leave  Cortez  in  the  interior  but  a  desperate  ad- 
venturer, wandering  in  the  midst  of  hostile  nations. 
In  this  emergency,  he  came  to  the  decision,  of  almost 
unparalleled  boldness,  to  destroy  the  fleet!  He  would 
thus  place  himself  in  a  distant  land,  with  but  five 
hundred  men,  hopelessly  cut  off  from  all  retreat,  and 
exposed  to  assault  from  exasperated  nations  number- 
ing many  millions. 

This  plan  was  no  sooner  conceived  than  executed. 
He  assembled  his  principal  friends  privately,  and  in- 
formed them  of  his  determination. 

"We  shall  thus,"  said  he,  "gain  all  the  sailors  for 
soldiers,  and  the  men,  having  no  possibility  of  escape, 
must  either  conquer  or  die." 

While  most  of  the  soldiers  were  employed  at 
Zempoalla,  the  ships  were  dismantled  of  every  mova- 
ble  article,  and    they   were    then    scuttled    and    sunk. 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED       103 

In  a  few  hours  the  majestic  ocean  rose  and  fell  in 
silent  solitude  where  the  fleet  had  so  proudly  floated. 
One  small  vessel  only  was  left. 

When  the  soldiers  heard  of  this  desperate  deed, 
they  were  struck  with  consternation.  They  were  ap- 
parently now  forever  separated  from  friends  and 
home.  In  case  of  disaster,  escape  was  impossible 
and  destruction  sure.  Murmurs  of  indignation,  loud 
and  deep,  began  to  rise  against  Cortez.  He  immedi- 
ately gathered  his  troops  around  him,  and,  by  his 
peculiar  tact,  soothed  their  anger,  and  won  them  to 
approval  of  his  course.  They  at  once  saw  that  mur- 
murs would  now  be  of  no  avail;  that  their  destiny 
was  henceforth  entirely  dependent  upon  their  obedi- 
ence to  their  leader.  It  was  evident  to  all  that  the 
least  insubordination,  in  the  position  of  peril  in  which 
they  were  placed,  would  lead  to  inevitable  ruin.  Cortez 
closed  his  speech  with  the  following   forcible  words: 

"As  for  me,  I  have  chosen  my  part.  I  will  re° 
main  here  while  there  is  one  to  bear  me  company. 
If  there  be  any  so  craven  as  to  shrink  from  sharing 
the  danger  of  our  glorious  enterprise,  let  them  go 
home.  There  is  still  one  vessel  left.  Let  them  take 
that  and  return  to  Cuba.  They  can  tell  there  how 
they  have  deserted  their  commander  and  their  com- 
rades, and  can  wait  patiently  till  we  return,  loaded 
with  the  treasures  of  the  Mexicans." 


io4  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

These  excitable  men  were  roused  to  enthusiasm 
by  this  speech.  One  general  shout  arose,  "To  Mex- 
ico! to  Mexico!"  Cortez  now  made  vigorous  prepa- 
rations for  his  march,  uninvited  and  even  forbidden, 
to  the  capital  of  Montezuma.  All  was  alacrity  in  the 
camp,  and  the  Totonac  allies  were  as  zealous  in  their 
preparations  as  were  the  Spaniards. 

On  the  15th  of  August,  15 19,  commenced  this 
ever-memorable  march.  The  force  of  Cortez  consisted 
of  four  hundred  Spaniards,  fifteen  horses,  and  seven 
pieces  of  artillery.  The  small  remainder  of  his  troops, 
some  being  sick  or  otherwise  disabled,  were  left  in 
garrison  at  Vera  Cruz.  The  cacique  of  the  Totonacs 
also  furnished  him  with  an  army  of  two  thousand 
three  hundred  men.  Of  these,  two  hundred  were 
what  were  called  men  of  burden,  trained  to  carry 
heavy  loads  and  to  perform  all  arduous  labor.  These 
men  were  invaluable  in  carrying  the  luggage  and  in 
dragging  the  heavy  artillery.  Cortez  assembled  his 
forces  at  Zempoalla.  At  the  moment  of  their  depar- 
ture, he  called  all  the  Spaniards  around  him,  and  ad- 
dressed them  in  a  devout  speech. 

"The  blessed  Savior,"  said  he,  "will  give  us  vic- 
tory. We  have  now  no  other  security  than  the  favor 
of  God  and  our  own  stout  hearts." 

The  morning  was  serene  and  cloudless  when  the 
army  commenced  its  march,  which  led  to  scenes  of 
unparalleled  cruelty  and  of  blood,     lust  as  the  advance 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED       105 

guard  was  leaving,  a  messenger  brought  the  intelli- 
gence that  a  strange  vessel  was  seen  cruising  off  the 
coast  near  Vera  Cruz.  Cortez  was  alarmed,  being  ap- 
prehensive that  it  was  some  ship  belonging  to  a  fleet 
sent  against  him  by  Velasquez.  He  immediately  set 
off  with  a  small  party  of  horse  toward  the  shore.  A 
boat  left  the  vessel  and  landed  four  men.  Cortez 
seized  them,  and  learned  that  this  ship  was  sent 
with  two  others,  conveying  two  hundred  and  seventy 
soldiers.  The  Governor  of  Jamaica  having  learned  of 
the  expedition  of  Cortez,  had  sent  this  embassy  to 
take  possession  of  the  country,  and  to  inform  Cortez 
that,  by  a  royal  commission  from  the  sovereign,  the 
Governor  of  Jamaica  was  entitled  to  have  authority 
ovei  the  whole  coast.  Cortez  impressed  the  men  as 
soldiers,  and  sent  them  to  be  added  to  his  army. 
Hoping  to  get  a  few  more,  he  hid,  with  his  guard, 
for  a  whole  night  behind  some  sand-hills,  expecting 
that  others  might  land  to  look  for  their  lost  comrades. 
Being  disappointed  in  this  expectation,  he  resorted  to 
a  stratagem  to  lure  others  on  shore.  Four  of  his  men 
were  dressed  in  the  clothes  of  the  prisoners,  and 
sent  to  the  coast  to  make  signals  A  boat  was  soon 
seen  making  for  the  shore;  but,  as  soon  as  three  had 
landed,  some  suspicion  excited  the  fears  of  the  rest, 
and  they  pushed  off  from  the  beach.  The  three  were, 
however,  instantly  secured,  and  were  immediately 
sent  to  join   their  companions   in  the   ranks.      Cortez 


106  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

thus  obtained  an  important  re-inforcement  of  seven 
Spaniards. 

Delaying  no  longer,  the  whole  army  was  speedily 
on  the  march.  For  two  days  they  moved  gayly 
along  through  an  enchanting  country  of  luxuriant  fo- 
liage, waving  grain,  flowers,  and  perfume.  They  en- 
countered no  opposition.  Indian  villages  were  thickly 
scattered  around,  and  scenery  of  surpassing  magnifi- 
cence and  loveliness  was  continually  opening  before 
their  eyes.  On  the  evening  of  the  second  day  they 
arrived  at  the  beautiful  town  of  Jalapa,  which  was 
filled  with  the  rural  residences  of  the  wealthy  natives, 
and  whose  elevated  site  commanded  a  prospect  in 
which  the  beautiful  and  the  sublime  were  most  lav- 
ishly blended. 

Still  continuing  their  march  through  a  well-settled 
country,  as  they  ascended  the  gradual  slope  of  the 
Cordilleras,  on  the  fourth  day  they  arrived  at  Nauiinco. 
This  was  a  large  and  populous  town,  containing  many 
massive  temples,  whose  altars  were  ever  crimsoned 
with  human  gore.  The  adventurers  were  received 
here,  however,  with  great  kindness.  The  sight  of 
these  heathen  temples  inspired  Cortez,  as  usual,  with 
intense  zeal  to  convert  the  natives  to  Christianity. 
Time  pressed,  and  it  was  not  safe  to  indulge  in  delay. 
The  Indians  were  bewildered  rather  than  instructed 
by  the  exhortations  of  the  Spanish  priests.  They, 
however,  consented   that   Cortez   should   rear   a    large 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED       107 

cross  in  the  center  of  their  market-place  as  a  me- 
morial of  his  visit.  The  enthusiastic  Spaniard  devoutly 
hoped  that  the  sight  of  the  cross  alone  would  excite 
the  devotion  of  the  natives. 

They  had  now  ascended  far  up  the  gentle  ascent 
of  the  Cordilleras,  and  were  entering  the  defiles  of 
the  mountains.  Here  they  encountered  rugged  paths, 
and  fierce  storms  of  wind  and  sleet.  A  weary  march 
of  three  days  brought  them  to  the  high  and  extended 
table-land  so  characteristic  of  this  country,  seven 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Here  they 
found  a  fertile  and  flowery  savanna  extending  before 
them  for  many  leagues.  The  country  was  highly 
cultivated,  and  luxuriantly  adorned  with  hedges,  with 
groves,  with  waving  fields  of  maize,  and  with  pic- 
turesque towns  and  villages.  God  did  indeed  seem 
to  smile  upon  these  reckless  adventurers.  Thus  far 
their  march  had  been  as  a  delightful  holiday  excur- 
sion. 

They  soon  arrived  at  Tlatlanquitepec.  It  was  even 
more  populous  and  improving  in  its  architecture  than 
Zempoalla.  The  stone  houses  were  spacious  and 
comfortable.  Thirteen  massive  temples  testified  to 
the  religious  fervor  of  the  people.  But  here  they  wit- 
nessed the  most  appalling  indications  of  the  horrid 
atrocities  of  pagan  idolatry.  They  found,  piled  in  or- 
der, as  they  judged,  one  hundred  thousand  skulls  of 
human  victims  who   had   been   offered  in   sacrifice  to 


io8  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

their  gods.*  There  was  a  Mexican  garrison  stationed 
in  this  place,  but  not  sufficiently  strong  to  resist  the 
invaders.  They,  however,  gave  Cortez  a  very  cold 
reception,  and  endeavored  to  discourage  him  from  ad- 
vancing by  glowing  descriptions  of  the  wealth  and 
power  of  the  monarch  whose  displeasure  he  was  in- 
curring. These  developments,  however,  rather  incited 
anew  the  zeal  of  the  Spaniards.  Cortez,  with  com- 
mendable zeal,  again  made  vigorous  but  unavailing 
efforts  to  induce  these  benighted  pagans  to  renounce 
their  cruel  and  bloodstained  idols,  and  accept  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus.  Poorly  as  Cortez  was  instructed  in 
the  doctrines  and  the  precepts  of  the  Gospel,  Chris- 
tianity, even  as  darkly  discerned  by  his  mind,  was 
infinitely  superior  to  the  sanguinary  religious  rites  of 
these  idolaters. 

"We  come,"  said  he,  firmly,  to  the  chiefs  and  the 
principal  personages  of  the  town,  "from  a  distant 
country,  to  warn  the  great  Montezuma  to  desist  from 
human  sacrifices,  and  all  outrages  upon  his  own  vas- 
sals or  his  neighbors,  and  to  require  from  him  sub- 
mission to  our  monarch;  and  I  now  require  you,  all 
who  hear  me,  to  renounce  your  human  sacrifices, 
cannibal    feasts,    and   other   abominable    practices,   for 

*  "  Near  some  temples  were  laid  numbers  of  human  skeletons,  so 
arranged  that  they  could  be  counted  with  ease  and  certainty.  I  am 
convinced,  from  my  own  observation,  that  there  were  above  a  hun- 
dred thousand.  I  repeat  it,  I  am  sure  that  there  were  more  than  a 
hundred  thousand."  —  Bernal  Diaz,  p.  91. 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED       109 

such  is  the  command  of  our  Lord  God,  whom  we 
adore,  who  gives  us  life  and  death,  and  who  is  to 
raise  us  up  to  heaven." 

The  natives,  however,  clung  to  the  debasing  faith 
of  their  fathers.  The  zeal  of  Cortez  was  roused.  He 
regarded  the  hideous  idols  as  representatives  of  devils, 
whom  it  was  right,  with  any  violence,  to  overthrow. 
He  was  just  about  ordering  an  onslaught  upon  the 
temples  with  sword  and  hatchet,  when  the  prudent 
Father  Olmedo  dissuaded  him. 

"  By  introducing  our  religion  thus  violently,"  said 
this  truly  good  man,  "we  shall  but  expose  the 
sacred  symbol  of  the  cross  and  the  image  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  to  insult  as  soon  as  we  shall  have 
departed.  We  must  wait  till  we  can  instruct  their 
dark  minds,  so  that  from  the  heart  they  may  embrace 
our  faith." 

And  here  let  us  record  the  full  and  the  cordial  ad- 
mission, that  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  notwith- 
standing its  corruptions,  has  sent  out  into  the  wilds 
of  heathenism  as  devoted  Christians  as  the  world  has 
ever  seen. 

After  a  rest  in  this  city  of  five  days,  the  route  was 
again  commenced.  The  road  wound  picturesquely 
along  the  banks  of  a  broad  and  tranquil  stream,  fringed 
with  an  unbroken  line  of  Indian  villages.  Some 
twenty  leagues  of  travel  brought  them  to  the  large 
*own    of  Xalacingo.      Here   they    met   with    friendly 


no  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

treatment.  They  were  now  on  the  frontiers  of  a  very 
powerful  nation,  called  the  Tlascalans,  who,  by  their 
fierce  and  warlike  habits,  had  thus  far  succeeded  in 
resisting  the  aggressions  of  the  Mexicans.  The  whole 
nation  was  organized  into  a  camp,  and  thus,  though 
many  bloody  battles  had  been  fought,  the  Tlascalans 
maintained  their  independence. 

Cortez  was  quite  sanguine  that  he  should  be  able 
to  form  an  alliance  with  this  people.  He  therefore 
decided  to  rest  his  army  for  a  few  days,  while  an 
embassy  should  be  sent  to  the  Tlascalan  capital  to 
solicit  permission  to  pass  through  their  country,  and 
gently  to  intimate  an  alliance.  Four  Zempoallans  of 
lofty  rank  were  selected  as  embassadors.  In  accord- 
ance with  the  custom  of  the  country,  they  were 
dressed  in  official  costume,  with  flowing  mantles,  and 
each  bearing  arrows  tipped  with  white  feathers,  the 
symbol  of  peace. 

But  the  Tlascalans  had  heard  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Spaniards  upon  the  coast,  of  their  ships,  "armed 
with  thunder  and  clad  with  wings,"  of  their  fearful 
war-horses,  and  of  their  weapons  of  destruction  of 
almost  supernatural  power.  They  had  also  heard  of 
the  violence  with  which  they  had  assailed  the  gods 
of  the  country.  The  principal  lords  had  already  as- 
sembled in  debate  to  decide  upon  the  course  to  be 
pursued  should  these  formidable  strangers  approach 
their    territory.     It   was    determined   to    oppose   them 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED       in 

with  all  the  energies  of  artifice  and  of  force.  The 
embassadors  were  accordingly  seized  and  imprisoned, 
and  preparations  were  made  to  sacrifice  them  to 
their  gods.  They,  however,  fortunately  made  their 
escape  and  returned  to  Cortez. 

The  Spanish  chieftain,  disappointed  but  not  intim- 
idated by  this  result,  made  prompt  arrangements  to 
force  his  way  through  the  Tlascalan  territory.  Wav- 
ing the  sacred  banner  of  the  Church  before  his  troops, 
he  exclaimed, 

"Spaniards!  follow  boldly  the  standard  of  the  Holy 
Cross.     Through  this  we  shall  conquer." 

"On!  on!"  was  the  enthusiastic  response  of  the 
soldiers.     "In  God  alone  we  place  our  trust." 

The  march  of  a  few  miles  brought  them  to  an  ex- 
tended waii  of  solid  masonry,  built,  like  the  great 
wall  of  China,  to  protect  the  territory  of  the  Tlasca- 
lans  from  invasion.  Though  the  entrance  gate  was  so 
constructed  that  a  small  army  stationed  there  might 
have  made  very  powerful  resistance,  for  some  reason 
the  Tlascalan  force  had  been  withdrawn.  The  army 
boldly  pressed  in,  and  advanced  rapidly,  yet  using  all 
caution  to  guard  against  an  ambuscade.  They  had 
not  proceeded  far,  however,  before  they  met  a  large 
force  of  the  Indians,  who  attacked  them  with  the  ut- 
most fury,  and  with  a  degree  of  military  skill  and 
discipline  which  greatly  surprised  the  Spaniards.  Two 
of  the    horses  were   killed,  and   several   of  the  Span- 


in  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

iards  wounded.  For  a  time  the  situation  of  the  in- 
vaders was  very  precarious;  but  Cortez  soon  brought 
up  the  artillery,  and  opened  a  destructive  fire  upon 
the  unprotected  foe.  The  thunder  of  the  guns,  which 
the  Tlascalans  had  never  heard  before,  and  the  horrid 
carnage  of  the  grape-shot  sweeping  through  their 
ranks,  compelled  the  warlike  natives  at  last,  though 
slowly  and  sullenly,  to  retire.  There  was,  however, 
no  confusion  in  their  retreat.  They  retired  in  good 
order,  ever  presenting  a  bold  front  to  their  pursuers. 
Cortez  estimated  the  number  of  the  enemy  engaged 
in  this  battle  at  six  thousand. 

The  retiring  Tlascalans  took  with  them  or  de- 
stroyed all  the  provisions  which  the  country  afforded; 
but,  notwithstanding  this,  "their  dogs,"  one  of  the 
historians  of  the  expedition  records,  "which  we 
caught  when  they  returned  to  their  habitations  at 
night,  afforded  us  a  very  good  supper." 

It  was  now  the  end  of  September.  The  army  of 
Cortez  had  been  gradually  increased  by  recruits  from 
among  the  natives  to  three  thousand.  Immediately 
after  this  first  battle  with  the  Tlascalans,  the  whole 
army  was  assembled  to  offer  thanks  to  God  for  the 
victory,  and  to  implore  his  continued  protection.  The 
soldiers,  with  the  fresh  blood  of  the  Tlascalans  hardly 
washed  from  their  hands,  partook  of  the  sacrament  of 
the  Lord's  Supper  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  Church. 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED       113 

The  army  now  marched  in  close  order.  The  To- 
tonac  allies,  as  well  as  the  Spaniards,  were  drilled  to 
perfect  discipline,  and  all  were  inspired  with  intense 
zeal.  With  characteristic  caution  Cortez  chose  every 
night  his  place  of  halting,  and  with  great  vigilance  forti- 
fied his  encampment.  There  was  something  truly  chiv- 
alrous in  the  magnanimity  displayed  by  these  barba- 
rians. They  seemed  to  scorn  the  idea  of  taking  their 
enemies  by  surprise,  but  always  sent  them  fair  warn- 
ing when  they  intended  to  make  an  attack.  They 
had  now  the  impression  that  the  Spaniards  had  left 
their  own  country  because  it  did  not  furnish  sufficient 
food  for  them.  They  therefore  sent  to  their  camp  an 
abundant  supply  of  poultry  and  corn,  saying,  "Eat 
plentifully.  We  disdain  to  attack  a  foe  enfeebled  by 
hunger.  It  would  be  an  insult  to  our  gods  to  offer  them 
starved  victims;  neither  do  we  wish  to  feed  on  ema- 
ciated bodies."  We  have  before  mentioned  that  it 
was  the  horrid  custom  of  this  people  to  offer  as 
sacrifices  to  their  gods  prisoners  taken  in  war,  and 
then  to  banquet  in  savage  orgies  over  the  remains. 

As  Cortez  moved  cautiously  on,  adopting  every 
precaution  to  guard  against  surprise,  he  suddenly 
emerged  from  a  valley  upon  a  wide-spread  plain. 
Here  he  again  encountered  the  enemy,  drawn  up  in 
battle  array,  in  numbers  apparently  overwhelming. 
It  was  now  evening.  As  it  was  understood  that  the 
Tlascalans  never  attacked  by  night,  considering  it  dis- 

M.  ofH.— xv— 8 


ii4  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

honorable  warfare,  the  Spaniards  pitched  their  tents, 
having  posted  sentinels  to  watch  the  foe  with  the  ut- 
most vigilance.  The  morning  was  to  usher  in  a 
dreadful  battle,  with  fearful  odds  against  the  invaders. 
Two  chiefs  who  had  been  taken  prisoners  in  the  late 
battle  stated  that  the  force  of  the  Tlascalans  consisted 
of  five  divisions  of  ten  thousand  men  each.  Each  di- 
vision had  its  own  uniform  and  banner,  and  was  un- 
der the  command  of  its  appropriate  chief.  It  was  a 
solemn  hour  in  the  Spanish  camp.  "When  all  this 
was  communicated  to  us,"  says  Diaz,  "being  but 
mortal,  and,  like  all  others,  fearing  death,  we  prepared 
for  battle  by  confessing  to  our  reverend  fathers,  who 
were  occupied  during  that  whole  night  in  that  holy 
office." 

Cortez  released  his  captive  chiefs,  and  sent  them 
with  an  amicable  message  to  their  countrymen,  stat- 
ing that  he  asked  only  an  unmolested  passage  through 
their  country  to  Mexico,  but  sternly  declaring,  "If 
this  proposition  be  refused,  I  will  enter  your  capital 
as  a  conqueror.  I  will  burn  every  house.  I  will  put 
every  inhabitant  to  the  sword."  An  answer  was  re- 
turned of  the  most  implacable  defiance.  "We  will 
make  peace,"  said  the  Tlascalans,  "by  devouring  your 
bodies,  and  offering  your  hearts  and  your  blood  in 
sacrifice  to  our  gods." 

The  morning  of  the  5th  0f  September  dawned 
cloudless  and  brilliant  upon  the  two  armies  encamped 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED       115 

upon  the  high  table-lands  of  the  Cordilleras.  At  an 
early  hour  the  Spanish  bugles  roused  the  sleeping 
host.  The  wounded  men,  even,  resumed  their  place 
in  the  ranks,  so  great  was  the  peril.  Cortez  addressed 
a  few  inspiriting  words  to  the  troops,  and  placed  him- 
self at  their  head.  Just  as  the  sun  was  rising  he  put 
his  army  in  motion.  Soon  they  arrived  in  sight  of 
the  Tlascalans.  The  interminable  host  filled  a  vast 
plain,  six  miles  square,  with  their  thronging  multi- 
tudes. The  native  warriors,  in  bands  skillfully 
posted,  were  decorated  with  the  highest  appliances 
of  barbaric  pomp.  As  the  experienced  eye  of  Cortez 
ranged  over  their  dense  ranks,  he  estimated  their 
numbers  at  more  than  one  hundred  thousand.  Their 
weapons  were  slings,  arrows,  javelins,  clubs,  and 
rude  wooden  swords,  sharpened  with  teeth  of  flint. 

The  moment  the  Spaniards  appeared,  the  Tlascalans, 
uttering  hideous  yells,  and  filling  the  air  with  all  the 
inconceivable  clamor  of  their  military  bands,  rushed 
upon  them  like  the  on-rolling  surges  of  the  ocean. 
The  first  discharge  from  the  native  army  of  stones, 
arrows,  and  darts  was  so  tremendous  as  to  darken 
the  sky  like  a  thick  cloud.  Notwithstanding  the  armor 
worn  by  the  Spaniards  was  impervious  to  arrow  or 
javelin,  many  were  wounded. 

But  soon  the  cannon  was  unmasked,  and  opened 
its  terrific  roar.  Ball  and  grape-shot  swept  through 
the  dense   ranks    of  the    natives,    mowing   down,    in 


n6  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

hideous  mutilation,  whole  platoons  at  a  discharge. 
The  courage  displayed  by  the  Tlascalans  was  amazing. 
It  has  never  been  surpassed.  Though  hardly  able, 
with  their  feeble  weapons,  to  injure  their  adversaries, 
regardless  of  death,  they  filled  up  the  gaps  which  the 
cannon  opened  in  their  ranks,  and  all  the  day  long 
continued  the  unequal  fight. 

Immense  multitudes  of  the  dead  now  covered  the 
field,  and  many  of  the  chiefs  were  slain.  Every  horse 
was  wounded;  seventy  Spaniards  were  severely  in- 
jured; one  was  dead,  and  nearly  all  were  more  or  less 
bruised.  But  the  artillery  and  the  musketry  were  still 
plied  with  awful  carnage.  The  commander-in-chief 
of  the  native  army,  finding  it  in  vain  to  contend 
against  these  new  and  apparently  unearthly  weapons, 
at  last  ordered  a  retreat.  The  natives  retired  in  as 
highly  disciplined  array  as  would  have  been  displayed 
by  French  or  Austrian  troops.  The  victors,  exhausted 
and  bleeding,  were  glad  to  throw  themselves  upon 
the  gory  grass  of  the  battle-field  for  repose.  The 
cold  wind  at  night,  from  the  mountain  glaciers,  swept 
the  bleak  plain,  and  the  soldiers  shivered  in  their 
houseless  beds.  They  did  not  sleep,  however,  until, 
in  a  body,  they  had  returned  thanks  to  the  God  of 
peace  and  love  for  their  glorious  victory.  "It  truly 
seemed,"  said  Cortez,  devoutly,  "that  God  fought  on 
our  side." 

It   appears   almost   incredible   that,   in   such  a  con- 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED       117 

diet,  the  Spanish  army  should  have  received  so  iittle 
injury.  But  Cortez  made  no  account  of  any  amount 
of  loss  on  the  part  of  his  native  allies.  The  Spaniards 
only  he  thought  of,  and  they  were  protected  with  the 
utmost  care.  Their  artillery  and  musketry  kept  the 
natives  at  a  distance,  and  their  helmets  and  coats  of 
mail  no  native  weapon  could  easily  penetrate.  Their 
danger  was  consequently  so  small  that  we  can  not 
give  them  credit  for  quite  so  much  heroism  as  they 
have  claimed.  The  enterprise,  in  its  commencement, 
was  bold  in  the  extreme;  but  it  is  easy  to  be  fearless 
when  experience  proves  that  there  is  but  little  peril 
to  be  encountered.  They  fought  one  hundred  thou- 
sand men  for  a  whole  day,  and  lost  one  man! 

As  night  enveloped  in  its  folds  the  blood  stained 
hosts,  the  untiring  Cortez,  having  buried  his  dead, 
that  his  loss  might  not  be  perceived  by  the  enemy, 
sallied  forth  with  the  horse  and  a  hundred  foot,  and 
four  hundred  of  the  native  allies,  and  with  fire  and 
sword  devastated  six  villages  of  a  hundred  houses 
each,  taking  four  hundred  prisoners,  including  men 
and  women.  Before  daybreak  he  returned  from  this 
wild  foray  to  the  camp. 

During  the  night  the  Tlascalans  had  been  receiving 
re-enforcements,  and  when  the  first  dawn  of  morning 
appeared,  more  than  one  hundred  and  forty-nine 
thousand  natives,  according  to  the  estimate  of  Cortez, 
made  a  rush   upon  the   camp.     After  a  battle  of  four 


n8  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

hours  they  were  again  compelled  to  retreat.  "As  we 
carried  the  banner  of  the  cross,"  says  Cortez,  "and 
fought  for  our  faith,  God  in  his  glorious  providence, 
gave  us  a  great  victory." 

Night  again  came.  Again  this  indomitable  man  of 
iron  sinews  marched  forth  in  the  darkness,  with  his 
horse,  one  hundred  Spanish  infantry,  and  a  large  party 
of  his  allies,  and  set  three  thousand  houses  in  flames, 
encountering  no  opposition,  burning  out  only  the 
women  and  children  and  the  unarmed  inhabitants. 
Cortez  treated  all  the  prisoners  he  took  very  kindly, 
and  liberated  them  with  presents.  This  humanity 
amazed  the  natives,  who  were  accustomed  to  a  pro- 
cedure so  very  different. 

The  Tlascalans  were  now  much  disheartened,  and 
were  inclined  to  peace.  But  they  were  quite  at  a  loss 
to  know  how  to  approach  the  terrible  foe.  After 
much  deliberation,  they  sent  an  embassage,  composed 
of  fifty  of  their  most  prominent  men,  bearing  rich 
presents.  Cortez  suspected  them  of  being  spies. 
With  cruelty,  which  will  ever  be  an  ineffaceable 
stigma  upon  his  name,  he  ordered  them  all  to  be  ar- 
rested, and  their  hands  to  be  cut  off.  Thus  awfully 
mutilated,  these  unhappy  men  were  sent  back  to  the 
Tlascalan  camp  with  the  defiant  message, 

"The  Tlascalans  may  come  by  day  or  by  night; 
the  Spaniards  are  ready  for  them." 

Cortez  himself  relates  this  act  of  atrocious  cruelty. 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED       119 

Nothing  can  be  said  in  its  extenuation.  There  was 
even  no  proof,  but  only  suspicion  that  they  were 
spies.  It  is,  indeed,  not  at  all  probable  that,  if  such 
were  the  intention,  fifty  of  the  most  prominent  men 
of  the  nation  would  have  been  selected.  It  is,  how- 
ever, certain,  that  after  this  all  farther  idea  of  resist- 
ance was  abandoned.  The  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Tlascalan  army,  with  a  numerous  retinue,  entered  the 
Spanish  camp  with  proffers  of  submission.  This 
brave  and  proud  chieftain,  subdued  by  the  terrors  of 
the  resistless  engines  of  war  worked  by  the  Spaniards, 
addressed  Cortez  in  the  following  language,  which 
will  command  universal  respect  and  sympathy. 

"I  loved  my  country,"  said  he,  "and  wished  to 
preserve  its  independence.  We  have  been  beaten.  I 
hope  that  you  will  use  your  victory  with  moderation, 
and  not  trample  upon  our  liberties.  In  the  name  of 
the  nation,  I  now  tender  obedience  to  the  Spaniards. 
We  will  be  as  faithful  in  peace  as  we  have  been  bold 
in  war." 

Cortez  received  this  submission  with  great  secret 
satisfaction,  for  his  men,  worn  down  with  fatigue, 
were  beginning  loudly  to  murmur.  A  cordial  peace 
was  soon  concluded.  The  Tlascalans  were  the  in- 
veterate foes  of  the  Mexicans,  and  had  long  been 
fighting  against  them.  They  yielded  themselves  as 
vassals  to  the  King  of  Spain,  and  engaged  to  assist 
Cortez  in  all  his  enterprises.     The  two  armies,  which 


i2o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

had  recently  met  in  such  fierce  and  terrible  encounter, 
now  mingled  together  as  friends  and  brothers.  In 
one  vast  united  band  they  marched  toward  the  great 
city  of  Tlascala,  and  entered  the  capital  in  triumph- 
It  was,  indeed,  a  large  and  magnificent  city;  more 
populous,  and  of  more  imposing  architecture,  Cortez 
asserts,  than  the  celebrated  Moorish  capital,  Granada, 
in  old  Spain.  An  immense  throng  flocked  from  the 
gates  of  the  city  to  meet  the  troops.  The  roofs  of 
the  houses  were  covered  with  spectators.  Wild  mu- 
sic, from  semi-barbarian  voices  and  bands,  filled  the 
air.  Plumed  warriors  hurried  to  and  fro,  and  shouts 
of  welcome  seemed  to  rend  the  skies,  as  these  hardy 
adventurers  slowly  defiled  through  the  crowded  gates 
and  streets  of  the  city.  The  police  regulations  were 
extraordinarily  effective,  repressing  all  disorder.  The 
Spaniards  were  surprised  to  find  barbers'  shops,  and 
also  baths  both  for  hot  and  cold  water. 

The  submission  of  the  Tlascalans  was  sincere  and 
entire.  They  were  convinced  that  the  Spaniards 
were  beings  of  a  superior  order  whom  it  was  in  vain 
to  resist.  Cortez  treated  the  vanquished  natives  with 
great  courtesy  and  kindness.  He  took  the  Tlascalan 
republic  under  his  protection,  and  promised  to  defend 
them  from  every  foe. 

The  peril  of  Cortez  at  this  juncture  had  been  very 
great.  The  difficulty  of  obtaining  sufficient  food  for 
his  army,  while  ever  on  the  march,  called  into  requi- 


TLASCALANS    SUBJUGATED       121 

sition  his  utmost  sagacity  and  exertions.  No  man  of 
ordinary  character  could  have  surmounted  this  diffi- 
culty. Fatigue  and  exposure  had  placed  many  on  the 
sick-list,  and  there  were  no  hospital  wagons  to  con- 
vey them  along.  Fifty-five  Spaniards  had  died  on 
the  way.  Cortez  himself  was  seriously  indisposed. 
Every  night  one  half  of  the  army  kept  up  a  vigilant 
watch,  while  all  the  rest  slept  on  their  arms.  And 
Diaz  records  that  they  had  no  salve  to  dress  their 
wounds  but  what  was  composed  of  the  fat  of  the 
Indians  whom  they  had  slain.  Whenever  the  enemy 
was  defeated,  he  retired  only  to  reappear  in  increas- 
ing numbers.  Under  these  circumstances,  it  is  not 
strange  that  many  of  the. soldiers  had  thought  of  their 
homes,  and  that  loud  murmurs  had  been  uttered. 
But  this  sudden  peace  dispelled  all  discontent.  In 
the  abundance  and  the  repose  of  the  great  city  of 
Tlascala,  all  past  toil  and  hardship  were  forgotten. 

Cortez,  in  his  letter  to  the  emperor,  stated  that  so 
populous  was  Tlascala,  that  he  presumed  as  many  as 
thirty  thousand  persons  appeared  daily  in  the  market- 
place of  the  city  buying  and  selling.  The  population 
of  the  province  he  estimated  at  five  hundred  thousand. 


CHAPTER     VI. 

The  March  to  Mexico. 

Prudence  of  Cortez. —  Enthusiasm  of  the  natives. —  Alarm  of  Montezuma. —  The 
embassy  to  Cortez. —  Cortez's  answer. —  Conversion  of  the  natives. —  The 
five  maidens. —  Cortez  declines  the  gift. —  Presentation  of  the  image. — 
The  compromise. —  Indignation  on  both  sides. —  Father  Olmedo  dissuades 
him  from  his  purpose. —  The  protest. —  The  prisons  emptied  of  the  vic- 
tims.—  Baptism  of  the  brides. —  Montezuma  invites  Cortez  to  his  capital. 

—  Zeal  of  the  Tlascalans. —  The  city  of  Cholula.  —  Arrival. —  They  decline 
admitting  the  Tlascalans. —  Rumors  of  treachery. —  Marina  discovers  a 
plot. —  Cortez  resents  the  treachery  of  the  natives. —  The  massacre. —  De- 
struction of  Cholula. —  Proclamation  offering  pardon. —  Appointment  of 
the  new  cacique. —  Public  thanksgivings. —  Statement  of  Mr.  Thompson. 

—  Cortez  resumes  his  march  toward  Mexico. —  Terror  of  Montezuma. — 
Cortez's  message  to  the  monarch. —  His  answer. —  Appearance  of  discon- 
tent.—  Arrival  at  Ithualco. —  View  from  the  heights. —  Cortez  resolves  to 
continue  his  march. —  Vacillation  of  Montezuma. —  Description  of  the 
valley  of  Mexico. —  Offers  from  Montezuma. —  Satisfaction  of  Cortez. — 
His  answer. —  Arrival  at  Amaquemecan. —  Profuse  hospitality. —  Ayob- 
zingo. —  I^ake  Chalco. —  Cuitlahuac. —  Immense  crowd.—  They  enter  Izta- 
palapan. —  Appearance  of  the  city. —  Reception  of  Cortez. —  The  proces- 
sion.—  The  causeway. —  Arrival  of  the  Emperor. —  Appearance  of  Monte- 
zuma.—  Meeting  of  the  emperor  and  the  marauder. —  Cortez  conducted 
to  his  quarters. —  His  accommodations. —  Size  and  comfort  of  the  mansion. 

—  Vigilance  of  Cortez. —  Presents  to  Cortez. —  The  conference.—  The  tra- 
dition.— Montezuma  urged  to  accept  the  Christian  faith.—  The  argu- 
ment.—  Achievements  of  the  Spaniards. 

Cortez  remained  in  Tlascala  twenty  days,  to 
refresh  his  troops,  and  to  cement  his  alliance 
with  his  new  friends.  He  was  all  this  time 
very  diligent  in  making  the  most  minute  inquiries 
respecting  the  condition  of  the   Mexican   empire,  and 

(122) 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         123 

in  preparing  for  every  emergence  which  could  arise  in 
the  continuance  of  his  march.  Bold  as  he  was,  his 
prudence  equaled  his  boldness,  and  he  left  nothing 
willingly  to  the  decisions  of  chance.  The  Tlascalans 
hated  virulently  their  ancient  foes  the  Mexicans,  and 
with  that  fickleness  of  character,  ever  conspicuous 
in  the  uninformed  multitude,  became  fond  even  to  adu- 
lation of  the  Spaniards.  With  great  enthusiasm  they 
embarked  in  the  enterprise  of  joining  the  expedition 
against  Montezuma.  All  the  forces  of  the  republic 
were  promptly  raised,  and  placed  under  the  command 
of  Cortez. 

Montezuma  was  informed  of  all  these  proceedings, 
and  was  greatly  alarmed.  He  feared  that  a  prophetic 
doom  was  about  to  descend  upon  him,  and  this  ap- 
prehension wilted  all  his  wonted  energies.  Thus  in- 
fluenced, he  sent  an  embassy,  consisting  of  five  of  the 
most  conspicuous  nobles  of  his  empire,  accompanied 
by  a  retinue  of  two  hundred  attendants,  to  visit  the 
Spanish  camp.  Men  of  burden  were  laden  down 
with  rich  presents  for  Cortez.  The  gold  alone  of  the 
gifts  was  estimated  at  over  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
Montezuma  weakly  hoped  by  these  gifts  to  induce 
Cortez  to  arrest  his  steps.  The  embassadors  were 
instructed  to  urge  him,  by  all  possible  considera- 
tions, not  to  attempt  to  approach  the  Mexican  cap- 
ital. 

Cortez   returned   an   answer   replete   with    expres- 


i24  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

sions  of  Castilian  courtesy,  but  declaring  that  he  must 
obey  the  commands  of  his  sovereign,  which  required 
him  to  visit  the  metropolis  of  the  great  empire. 

But,  in  the  midst  of  all  these  cares,  Cortez  did  not 
forget  his  great  mission  of  converting  the  natives  to 
Christianity.  This  subject  was  ever  prominent  in  his 
mind,  and  immediately  upon  his  entrance  into  the 
city  he  commenced,  through  his  interpreters,  urging 
the  chiefs  to  abandon  their  cruel  idolatry.  He  argued 
with  them  himself,  and  called  into  requisition  all  the 
persuasive  eloquence  of  good  Father  Olmedo. 

The  chiefs  brought  five  maidens,  all  noble  born, 
and  of  selected  beauty.  These  girls  were  beautifully 
dressed,  and  each  attended  by  a  slave.  Xicotenga, 
the  cacique  of  the  nation,  presented  his  own  daugh- 
ter to  Cortez,  and  requested  him  to  assign  the  rest  to 
his  officers.  Cortez  firmly,  yet  courteously  declined 
the  gift,  saying, 

"If  you  wish  that  we  should  intermarry  with  you, 
you  must  first  renounce  your  idolatrous  worship  and 
adore  our  God.  He  will  then  bless  you  in  this  life, 
and  after  death  he  will  receive  you  to  heaven  to  enjoy 
eternal  happiness;  but  if  you  persist  in  the  worship 
of  your  idols,  which  are  devils,  you  will  be  drawn 
by  them  to  their  infernal  pit,  there  to  burn  eternally 
in  flames  of  fire." 

He  then  presented  to  them  "a  beauteous  image 
of  Our  Lady,  with   her   precious   Son   in    her   arms," 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         125 

and  attempted  to  explain  to  them  the  mystery  of  the 
incarnation,  and  the  potency  of  the  mediatorship  of 
the  Virgin. 

"The  God  of  the  Christians,"  the  Tlascalans  re- 
plied, "must  be  great  and  good,  We  will  give  him 
a  place  with  our  gods,  who  are  also  great  and  good. 
Our  god  grants  us  victory  over  our  enemies.  Our 
goddess  preserves  us  from  inundations  of  the  river. 
Should  we  forsake  their  worship,  the  most  dreadful 
punishment  would  overwhelm  us." 

Cortez  could  admit  of  no  such  compromise;  and 
he  urged  the  destruction  of  the  idols  with  so  much 
zeal  and  importunity,  that  at  last  the  Tlascalans  be- 
came angry,  and  declared  that  on  no  account  what- 
ever would  they  abandon  the  gods  of  their  fathers. 
Cortez  now,  in  his  turn,  was  roused  to  virtuous  in- 
dignation, and  he  resolved  that,  happen  what  might, 
the  true  God  should  be  honored  by  the  swift  destruc- 
tion of  these  idols  of  the  heathen.  Encouraged  by 
the  success  of  his  violent  measures  at  Zempoalla,  he 
was  on  the  point  of  ordering  the  soldiers  to  make  an 
onslaught  on  the  gods  of  the  Tlascalans,  which  would 
probably  have  so  roused  the  warlike  and  exasperated 
natives  as  to  have  led  to  the  entire  destruction  of  his 
army  in  the  narrow  streets  of  the  thronged  capital, 
when  the  judicious  and  kind-hearted  Father  Olmedo 
dissuaded  him  from  the  rash  enterprise.  With  true 
Christian  philosophy,  he  plead  that  forced  conversion 


126  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

was  no  conversion  at  all;  that  God's  reign  was  only 
over  willing  minds  and  in  the  heart*.  "  g/'ligion," 
said  this  truly  good  man,  "can  not  be  propagated 
by  the  sword.  Patient  instruction  must  enlighten  the 
understanding,  and  pious  example  captivate  the  affec- 
tions, before  men  can  be  induced  to  abandon  error 
and  embrace  the  truth."  It  is  truly  refreshing  to 
meet  with  these  noble  ideas  of  toleration  spoken  by 
a  Spanish  monk  in  that  dark  age.  Let  such  a  fact 
promote,  not  indifference  to  true  and  undefiled  reli- 
gion, but  a  generous  charity.* 

Cortez  reluctantly  yielded  to  these  remonstrances 
of  an  ecclesiastic  whose  wisdom  and  virtue  he  was 
compelled  to  respect.  The  manifest  pressure  of  cir- 
cumstances also  undoubtedly  had  their  influence.  But 
this  ardent  reformer  could  not  yield  without  entering 
his  protest. 

"We  can  not,"  he  said,  "I  admit,  change  the 
heart,  but  we  can  demolish  these  abominable  idols, 
clamoring  for  their  hecatombs  of  human  victims,  and 
we  can  introduce  in  their  stead  the  blessed  Virgin 
and   her  blessed   child.     Will   not   this   be   a   humane 


* "  When  Reverend  Father  Olmedo,  who  was  a  wise  and  good 
theologian,  heard  this,  being  averse  to  forced  conversions,  notwith- 
standing it  had  been  done  in  Zempoalla,  he  advised  Cortez  to  urge 
it  no  further  at  present.  He  also  observed  that  the  destruction  of  their 
idols  was  a  fruitless  violence  if  the  principle  was  not  eradicated  from 
their  minds  by  arguments,  as  they  would  find  other  idols  to  continue 
their  worship  to  elsewhere." 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         127 

change?  And,  because  we  can  not  do  the  whole, 
shall  we  refuse  to  do  a  part?" 

Upon  one  point,  however,  Cortez  was  inflexible, 
and  to  this  the  Tlascalans,  by  way  of  compromise, 
assented.  He  insisted  that  the  prisons  should  be 
entirely  emptied  of  victims  destined  for  sacrifice. 
There  were  in  the  temples  many  poor  wretches  fat- 
tening for  these  horrid  orgies.  A  promise  was  also 
exacted  from  the  Tlascalans  that  they  would  hereafter 
desist  from  these  heathen  practices;  but  no  sooner 
had  the  tramp  of  the  Spaniards  ceased  to  echo  through 
the  streets  of  Tlascala,  than  the  prisons  were  again 
filled  with  victims,  and  human  blood,  in  new  torrents, 
crimsoned  their  altars. 

One  of  the  temples  was  also  cleared  out,  and  an 
altar  being  erected,  it  was  converted  into  a  Christian 
church.  Here  the  young  ladies  destined  as  brides  for 
the  Spanish  soldiers  were  baptized,  their  friends  pre- 
senting no  objections.  The  daughter  of  Xicotenga 
received  the  Christian  name  of  Louisa.  Cortez  took 
her  by  the  hand,  and  gracefully  presented  her  to  one 
of  his  captains,  Alvarado,  telling  her  father  that  that 
officer  was  his  brother.  The  cacique  expressed  entire 
satisfaction  at  this  arrangement.  All  were  baptized 
and  received  Christian  names.  Many  of  the  descend- 
ants of  this  beautiful  and  amiable  Indian  maiden  may 
now  be  found  among  the  grandees  of  Spain. 

Montezuma,    on    the    return    of  his    embassadors, 


128  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

finding  that  no  argument  could  dissuade  Cortez,  and 
fearing  by  opposition  to  provoke  the  hostility  of  an 
enemy  who  wielded  such  supernatural  thunders,  now 
decided  to  change  his  policy,  and  by  cordiality  to 
endeavor  to  win  his  friendship.  He  accordingly  sent 
another  embassy,  with  still  richer  presents,  inviting 
Cortez  to  his  capital,  and  assuring  him  of  a  warm  wel- 
come. He  entreated  him,  however,  not  to  enter  into 
any  alliance  with  the  Tlascalans,  the  most  fierce  and 
unrelenting  foes  of  the  Mexican  empire. 

The  time  had  now  arrived  for  Cortez  to  resume 
his  march.  The  zeal  of  the  Tlascalans  to  accompany 
him  was  so  great  that,  according  to  his  representation, 
he  might  have  taken  with  him  one  hundred  thousand 
volunteers.  He,  however,  considered  this  force  too 
unwieldy,  and  accepted  of  but  six  thousand  picked 
troops.  This,  however,  was  a  strong  re-enforcement, 
and  Cortez  now  rode  proudly  at  the  head  of  a  regu- 
lar army  which  could  bid  defiance  to  all  opposition. 

Eighteen  miles  from  Tlascala  was  situated  the  city 
of  Cholula,  and  this  city  was  but  sixty-four  miles  east 
of  the  renowned  Mexican  metropolis.  Cholula  was  a 
city  whose  population  was  estimated  at  one  hundred 
thousand.  As  it  belonged  to  Mexico,  the  bitterest 
animosity  existed  between  its  inhabitants  and  those 
of  Tlascala.  Cortez  was  warned  by  his  new  allies 
not  to  enter  the  city,  as  he  might  depend  upon  en- 
countering  treachery   there;  but  the   Spanish   general 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         129 

considered  himself  now  too  strong  to  turn  aside  from 
any  danger. 

As  the  Spanish  army  approached  the  city,  a  pro- 
cession came  out  to  meet  them,  with  banners,  and 
bands  of  music,  and  censers  smoking  with  incense. 
Numerous  nobles  and  priests  headed  the  procession. 
They  received  Cortez  and  the  Zempoallans  with  every 
demonstration  of  friendship,  but  declined  admitting 
their  inveterate  enemies,  the  Tlascalans,  within  their 
walls.  Cortez  accordingly  ordered  these  allies  to  en- 
camp upon  the  plain  before  the  city,  while  he,  with 
the  rest  of  the  army,  marched  with  great  military 
pomp  into  the  metropolis,  which  was  resounding  with 
acclamations. 

He  found  a  beautiful  city,  with  wide,  neatly-ar- 
ranged streets  and  handsome  dwellings.  It  was  the 
sacred  city  of  the  Mexicans.  Many  gorgeous  temples 
lined  the  streets,  and  one  of  extraordinary  grandeur 
was  the  most  renowned  sanctuary  of  the  empire.  It 
is  alleged  by  some,  and  denied  by  others,  that  the 
Mexicans  had  invited  the  Spaniards  into  the  holy  city, 
hoping  by  the  aid  of  the  gods  to  effect  their  entire 
destruction.  The  Tlascalans,  who  were  encamped 
outside  of  the  city,  affirmed  that  the  women  and  chil- 
dren of  the  principal  inhabitants  were  leaving  the  city 
by  night.  They  also  declared  that  a  large  body  of 
Mexican  troops  were  concealed  near  the  town.  Two 
of  the  Tlascalans,  who  had   entered   the   city   in  dis- 

M.  of  H.— XV— 9 


i3o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

guise,  declared  that  some  of  the  streets  were  barri- 
caded, and  that  others  were  undermined,  and  but 
slightly  covered  over,  as  traps  for  the  horses.  They 
also  reported  that  six  children  had  recently  been 
sacrificed  in  the  chief  temple,  which  was  a  certain 
indication  that  some  great  military  enterprise  was  on 
foot.  Cortez,  however,  did  not  place  much  reliance 
upon  this  testimony  from  the  Tlascalans.  He  was 
well  aware  that  they  would  be  glad,  in  any  way,  to 
bring  down  destruction  on  Cholula. 

But  more  reliable  testimony  came  from  the  amiable 
Marina.  She  had  won  the  love  of  one  of  the  noble 
ladies  of  the  city.  This  woman,  wishing  to  save  Marina 
from  destruction,  informed  her  that  a  plot  was  in  prog- 
ress for  the  inevitable  ruin  of  her  friends.  According 
to  her  account,  deep  pits  were  dug  and  concealed  in 
the  streets,  stones  carried  to  the  tops  of  the  houses 
and  the  temples,  and  that  Mexican  troops  were  se- 
cretly drawing  near.  The  fatal  hour  was  at  hand, 
and  escape  impossible. 

The  energy  of  Cortez  was  now  roused.  Quietly 
he  drew  up  the  Spanish  and  Zempoallan  troops,  armed 
to  the  teeth,  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  He  sent  a 
secret  order  to  the  Tlascalans  to  approach,  and,  at  a 
given  signal,  to  fall  upon  the  surprised  and  unarmed 
Cholulans,  and  cut  them  down  without  mercy.  He 
then,  upon  a  friendly  pretext,  sent  for  the  magistrates 
of  the  city  and   all   the  principal   nobles.     They   were 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         131 

immediately  assembled,  and  the  signal  for  massacre 
was  given. 

The  poor  natives,  taken  entirely  by  surprise,  rushed 
in  dismay  this  way  and  that,  encountering  death  at 
every  corner.  The  Tlascalans,  like  hungry  wolves, 
swept  through  the  streets,  glutting  themselves  with 
blood.  It  was  with  them  the  carnival  of  insatiable 
revenge.  The  dwellings  were  sacked  piteously,  and 
the  city  every  where  kindled  into  flame.  Women 
and  children  were  seized  by  the  merciless  Tlascalans 
to  grace  their  triumph,  and  to  bleed  upon  their  altars 
of  human  sacrifice.  For  two  days  this  horrid  scene 
continued.  At  last,  from  exhaustion,  the  carnage 
ceased.  The  city  was  reduced  to  smouldering  ruins, 
and  pools  of  blood  and  mutilated  carcases  polluted  the 
streets.  The  wail  of  the  wretched  survivors,  homeless 
and  friendless,  rose  to  the  ear  of  Heaven  more  dismal 
than  the  piercing  shriek  of  anguish  which  is  silenced 
by  death.  The  argument  with  which  Cortez  defends 
this  outrage  is  very  laconic: 

"Had  I  not  done  this  to  them,  they  would  have 
done  the  same  to  me." 

Such  is  war  —  congenial  employment  only  for 
fiends.  It  is  Satan's  work,  and  can  be  efficiently 
prosecuted  only  by  Satan's  instruments.  Six  thousand 
Cholulans  were  slain  in  this  awful  massacre.  The 
Spaniards  were  now  sufficiently  avenged.  Cortez  is- 
sued   a     proclamation     offering    pardon    to    all     who 


132  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

had  escaped  the  massacre,  and  inviting  them  to  return 
to  their  smouldering  homes.  Slowly  they  returned, 
women  and  children,  from  the  mountains  where  they 
had  fled,  some,  who  feigned  death,  crept  from  beneath 
the  bodies  of  the  slain,  and  others  emerged  from 
hiding-places  in  their  devastated  dwellings.  The 
cacique  of  the  Cholulans  had  been  killed  in  the  general 
slaughter.  Cortez  appointed  a  brother  of  the  late 
cacique  to  rule  over  the  city,  and,  in  apparently  a 
sincere  proclamation,  informed  the  bereaved  and  mis- 
erable survivors  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  sorrow 
that  he  had  found  himself  compelled  by  their  treachery 
to  this  terrible  punishment.  The  Tlascalans,  glutted 
with  the  blood  of  their  ancient  foes,  were  compelled 
to  surrender  all  their  prisoners,  for  Cortez  would  allow 
of  no  human  sacrifices. 

Cortez  thought  that  the  natives  were  now  in  a 
very  suitable  frame  of  mind  for  his  peculiar  kind  of 
conversion.  They  were  truly  very  pliant.  No  resist- 
ance was  offered  to  the  Spanish  soldiers  as  they  tum- 
bled the  idols  out  of  the  temples,  and  reared  in  their 
stead  the  cross  and  the  image  of  the  Virgin.  Public 
thanksgivings  were  then  offered  to  God  in  the  purified 
temples  of  the  heathen  for  the  victory  he  had  vouch- 
safed, and  mass  was  celebrated  by  the  whole  army. 

In  the  year  1842,  Hon.  Waddy  Thompson  passed 
over  the  plain  where  once  stood  the  city  of  Cholula. 
He  thus  describes  it: 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         133 

"  The  great  city  of  Cholula  was  situated  about  six 
miles  from  the  present  city  of  Puebla.  It  was  here 
the  terrible  slaughter  was  committed  which  has  left 
the  deepest  stain  upon  the  otherwise  glorious  and 
wonderful  character  of  Cortez.  Not  a  vestige  —  liter- 
ally not  one  —  not  a  brick  or  a  stone  standing  upon 
another,  remains  of  this  immense  city  except  the  great 
pyramid,  which  still  stands  in  gloomy  and  solitary 
grandeur  in  the  vast  plain  which  surrounds  it,  and 
there  it  will  stand  forever.  This  pyramid  is  built  of 
unburned  bricks.  Its  dimensions,  as  given  by  Hum- 
boldt, are,  base,  1440  feet;  present  height,  177;  area 
on  the  summit,  45,210  square  feet.  A  Catholic  chapel 
now  crowns  the  summit  of  this  immense  mound,  the 
sides  of  which  are  covered  with  grass  and  small  trees. 
As  seen  for  miles  along  the  road,  an  artificial  moun- 
tain, standing  in  the  solitude  of  a  vast  plain,  it  is  a 
most  imposing  and  beautiful  object." 

After  the  delay  of  a  fortnight,  Cortez  resumed  his 
march  toward  the  capital  of  Mexico,  which  was  now 
distant  from  him  but  twenty  leagues.  It  was  now 
the  29th  of  October.  The  tidings  of  the  horrible  ret- 
ribution which  had  fallen  upon  Cholula  spread  far 
and  wide,  and  it  accomplished  its  end  in  preventing 
any  farther  manifestations  of  hostility.  City  after  city, 
appalled  by  this  exhibition  of  the  vengeance  of  those 
foes  who  wielded   the   thunder  and   the   lightning  of 


134  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

heaven,  and  who,  with  the  dreadful  war-horse,  could 
overtake  the  swiftest  foe,  sent  in  the  most  humble 
messages  of  submission,  with  accompanying  presents, 
to  propitiate  the  favor  of  the  terrible  invaders. 

Montezuma,  as  he  was  informed  of  the  fate  of 
Cholula,  turned  pale  upon  his  throne,  and  trembled 
in  every  fiber.  He  dreaded  unspeakably  to  have  the 
Spaniards  enter  his  capital,  and  yet  he  dared  not  un- 
dertake to  oppose  them.  Cortez  sent  embassadors 
before  him  to  the  capital  with  the  following  message 
to  Montezuma. 

"The  Cholulans  have  asserted  that  Montezuma  in- 
stigated their  treachery.  I  will  not  believe  it.  Mon- 
tezuma is  a  great  and  a  powerful  sovereign;  he 
would  make  war  in  the  open  field,  and  not  by  cow- 
ardly stratagem.  The  Spaniards,  however,  are  ready 
for  any  warfare,  secret  or  open." 

This  was  bold  defiance.  Montezuma  supersti- 
tiously  read  in  it  the  decree  of  fate  announcing  his 
doom.  He  returned  an  answer  solemnly  declaring 
that  he  had  no  part  in  the  guilt  of  the  Cholulans,  and 
renewedly  inviting  Cortez  to  visit  his  city. 

The  country  through  which  the  adventurers  passed 
became  increasingly  populous,  luxuriant,  and  beauti- 
ful. They  were  continually  met  by  embassies  from 
the  different  cities  on  or  near  their  route,  endeavoring 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         135 

to  propitiate  their  favor  by  protestations  of  allegiance 
and  gifts  of  gold.  They  also  perceived  many  indica- 
tions of  discontent  with  the  reign  of  Montezuma, 
which  encouraged  Cortez  greatly  in  his  expectation 
of  being  able  to  overturn  the  empire,  by  availing 
himself  of  the  alienation  existing  in  its  constituent 
parts.  Multitudes  of  the  disaffected  joined  the  army 
of  Cortez,  where  they  were  all  warmly  welcomed. 
"Thus,"  says  Clavigero,  "the  farther  the  Spaniards 
advanced  into  the  country,  the  more  they  continued 
to  increase  their  forces;  like  a  rivulet  which,  by  the 
accession  of  other  streams,  swells  in  its  course  into  a 
large  river." 

For  several  days  they  toiled  resolutely  along, 
"recommending,"  says  Diaz,  "our  souls  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  had  brought  us  through  our  past 
dangers,"  until,  from  the  heights  of  Ithualco,  they 
looked  down  over  the  majestic,  the  enchanting  valley 
of  Mexico.  A  more  perfectly  lovely  scene  has  rarely 
greeted  human  eyes.  In  the  far  distance  could  be 
discerned,  through  the  transparent  atmosphere,  the 
dim  blue  outline  of  the  mountains  by  which  the  al- 
most boundless  basin  of  Mexico  was  girdled.  Forests 
and  rivers,  orchards  and  lakes,  cultivated  fields  and 
beautiful  villages  adorned  the  landscape.  The  mag- 
nificent city  of  Mexico  was  situated,  in  queenly  splen- 
dor, upon  islands  in  the  bosom  of  a  series  of  lakes 
more  than  a   hundred   miles    in   length.     Innumerable 


136  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

towns,  with  their  lofty  temples,  and  white,  picturesque 
dwellings,  fringed  the  margin  of  the  crystal  waters. 
The  circumference  of  the  valley  girdled  by  the  moun- 
tains was  nearly  two  hundred  miles. 

The  Spaniards  gazed  upon  the  enchanting  scene 
with  amazement,  and  many  of  them  with  alarm. 
They  saw  indications  of  civilization  and  of  power  far 
beyond  what  they  had  anticipated.  Cortez,  however,, 
relying  upon  the  efficiency  of  gunpowder,  and  also 
deeming  himself  invincible  while  the  sacred  banner  of 
the  cross  waved  over  his  army,  marched  boldly  on. 
The  love  of  plunder  was  a  latent  motive  omnipotent 
in  his  soul,  and  he  saw  undreamed  of  wealth  lavishly 
spread  before  him.  Though  Cortez  was,  at  this  period 
of  his  life,  a  stranger  to  the  sordid  vice  of  avarice,  he 
coveted  intensely  boundless  wealth,  to  be  profusely 
distributed  in  advancing  his  great  plans.* 


*Hon.  Waddy  Thompson  thus  describes  the  appearance  of  the 
great  valley  of  Mexico  at  the  present  time.  "The  road  passes  within 
about  twenty  miles  of  the  mountain  of  Popocatepetl,  the  highest 
point  of  the  territory  of  Mexico;  but  the  brightness  of  the  atmosphere, 
and  a  tropical  sun  shining  upon  the  snow  with  which  it  is  always 
covered,  makes  the  distance  seem  very  much  shorter  —  not,  indeed, 
more  than  one  or  two  miles.  In  descending  the  mountain,  at  about 
the  distance  of  twenty-five  miles  the  first  glimpse  is  caught  of  the 
city  and  valley  of  Mexico.  No  description  can  convey  to  the  reader 
any  adequate  idea  of  the  effect  upon  one  who,  for  the  first  time,  be- 
holds that  magnificent  prospect.  With  what  feelings  must  Cortez 
have  regarded  it  when  he  first  saw  it  from  the  top  of  the  mountain 
between  the  snow-covered  volcanoes  of  Popocatepetl  and  Iztaccihuatl, 
a  short  distance  to  the  left  of  where  the  road  now  runs!     The  valley 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         137 

Montezuma  was  continually  vacillating  as  to  the 
course  to  be  pursued.  At  one  hour  he  would  resolve 
to  marshal  his  armies,  and  fall,  if  fall  he  must,  glori- 
ously, amid  the  ruins  of  his  empire.  The  next  hour 
timidity  would  be  in  the  ascendant,  and  a  new  em- 
bassy would  be  sent  to  Cortez,  with  courteous 
speeches  and  costly  gifts.  The  unhappy  monarch,  in 
his  despair,  had  gone  to  one  of  the  most  sacred  of 
the  sanctuaries  of  the  empire  to  mourn  and  to  pray. 
Here  he  passed  eight  days  in  the  performance  of  all 
the  humiliating  and  penitential  rites  of  his  religion. 
But  each  day  Cortez  drew  nearer,  and  the  crowds 
accumulating  around  him  increased. 

The  spirit  of  Montezuma  was  now  so  crushed  that 
he  sent  an  embassy  to  Cortez  offering  him  four  loads  of 
gold  for  himself,  and  one  for  each  of  his  captains,  and 
he  also  promised  to  pay  a  yearly  tribute  to  the  King 
of  Spain,  if  the  dreaded  conqueror  would  turn  back. 
This  messenger  met  the  Spanish  army  upon  the 
heights  of  Ithualco,  as  they  were  gazing  with  admira- 
tion upon  the  goodly  land  spread  out  before  them. 
Cortez  listened  with  much  secret  satisfaction  to  this 
messenger,  as  an  indication  of  the  weakness  and  the 
fear    of   the    great    monarch.     Returning    the    laconic 

was  not  then,  as  it  is  now,  for  the  greater  part  a  barren  waste,  but 
was  studded  all  over  with  the  homes  of  men,  containing  more  than 
forty  cities,  besides  towns  and  villages  without  number.  Never  has 
such  a  vision  burst  upon  the  eyes  of  mortal  man  since  that  upon 
which  the  seer  of  old  looked  down  from  Pisgah," 


138  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

answer,  "I  must  see  Montezuma,  and  deliver  to  him 
personally  the  message  of  the  emperor  my  master," 
he  more  eagerly  pressed  on  his  way. 

Montezuma  received  this  response  as  the  doom 
decreed  to  him  by  fate.  "Of  what  avail,"  the  un- 
happy monarch  is  reported  to  have, said,  "is  resist- 
ance, when  the  gods  have  declared  themselves  against 
us  ?  Yet  I  mourn  most  for  the  old  and  infirm,  the 
women  and  children,  too  feeble  to  fight  or  to  fly. 
For  myself  and  the  brave  men  around  me,  we  must 
bare  our  breasts  to  the  storm,  and  meet  it  as  we 
may." 

The  Spaniards  had  now  arrived  at  the  city  of 
Amaquemecan.  They  were  received  by  the  principal 
inhabitants  of  the  place  with  an  ostentatious  display 
of  courtesy  and  friendship.  Two  very  large  stone 
buildings  were  provided  for  their  accommodation. 
This  profuse  hospitality  was  excited  by  terror.  After 
resting  here  two  days,  Cortez  resumed  his  march. 
Their  path  still  led  through  smiling  villages  and  fields 
of  maize,  and  through  gardens  blooming  with  gor- 
geous flowers,  which  the  natives  cultivated  with  reli- 
gious and  almost  passionate  devotion. 

At  last  they  arrived  at  Ayotzingo  —  the  Venice  of 
the  New  World  —  an  important  town,  built  on  wooden 
piles  in  the  waters  of  Lake  Chalco.  Gondolas  of  every 
variety  of  color,  and  of  graceful  structure,  glided 
through    the   liquid   streets.      The    main    body    of  the 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         139 

Spanish  army  encamped  outside  of  the  city.  A  vast 
concourse  of  the  natives  flocked  to  the  camp.  Cortez 
became  suspicious  of  premeditated  treachery,  and 
fifteen  or  twenty  of  the  natives  were  heartlessly  shot 
down,  as  an  intimidation.  The  terrified  Indians  did 
not  venture  to  resent  this  cruel  requital  of  their  hos- 
pitality. 

After  remaining  here  two  days,  the  march  was 
again  resumed  along  the  southern  shores  of  Lake 
Chalco.  Clusters  of  villages,  embowered  in  luxuriant 
foliage,  and  crimson  with  flowers,  fringed  the  lake. 
The  waters  were  covered  with  the  light  boats  of  the 
natives,  gliding  in  every  direction.  At  last  they  came 
to  a  narrow  dike  or  causeway,  five  miles  long,  and 
so  narrow  that  but  two  or  three  horsemen  could  ride 
abreast.  In  the  middle  of  this  causeway,  which  sep- 
arated Lake  Chalco  from  Lake  Xochicalco,  was  built 
the  town  of  Cuitlahuac,  which  Cortez  described  as 
the  most  beautiful  he  had  yet  seen.  Before  the  man- 
sions of  the  principal  inhabitants  there  were  lawns 
ornamented  with  trees  and  shrubbery.  Temples  and 
lofty  towers  rose  in  much  majesty  of  architecture. 
Floating  gardens  were  constructed  on  the  lake,  and 
innumerable  boats,  plied  by  the  strong  arms  of  the 
native  rowers,  almost  covered  the  placid  waters.  As 
the  Spaniards  marched  along  this  narrow  causeway, 
the  crowd  became  so  immense  that  Cortez  was 
obliged  to  resort  to   threats   of  violence   to   force    his 


i4o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

way.  The  place  was  so  very  favorable  for  the  na- 
tives to  make  an  assault,  that  Cortez  conducted  the 
march  with  the  utmost  possible  vigilance,  and  com- 
manded the  Indians  not  to  come  near  his  ranks  un- 
less they  chose  to  be  regarded  as  enemies.  The 
adventurers  were,  however,  received  in  Cuitlahuac 
with  the  utmost  kindness,  and  all  their  wants  were 
abundantly  supplied. 

When  they  had  crossed  the  narrow  causeway, 
and  had  arrived  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  they 
entered  the  city  of  Iztapalapan,  which  contained,  ac- 
cording to  their  estimate,  about  fifteen  thousand 
houses.  The  city  was  in  the  near  vicinity  of  the 
capital.  The  natives,  with  refinement  and  taste  not 
yet  equaled  by  the  money-making  millions  of  North 
America,  had  allotted  land  in  the  center  of  the  city 
for  a  vast  public  garden,  blooming  with  flowers  of 
every  variety  of  splendor.  A  large  aviary  was  filled 
with  birds  of  gorgeous  plumage  and  sweet  song.  A 
stone  reservoir,  of  ample  dimensions,  contained  water 
to  irrigate  the  grounds,  and  it  was  also  abundantly 
stored  with  fish.  Many  of  the  chiefs  of  the  neighbor- 
ing cities  had  assembled  here  to  meet  Cortez.  They 
received  him  with  courtesy,  with  hospitality,  but  with 
reserve.  He  was  now  but  a  few  miles  from  the  re- 
nowned metropolis  of  Montezuma,  and  the  turrets  of 
the  lofty  temples  of  idolatry  which  embellished  the 
capital  glittered  in  the  sunlight  before  him. 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         141 

Another  night  passed  away,  and,  as  another  morn- 
ing dawned,  the  Spanish  army  was  again  on  the 
march.  It  was  the  8th  of  November,  15 19.  When 
they  drew  near  the  city,  they  were  first  met  by  a 
procession  of  a  thousand  of  the  principal  inhabitants, 
adorned  with  waving  plumes,  and  clad  in  finely-em- 
broidered mantles.  They  announced  that  their  re- 
nowned Emperor  Montezuma  was  advancing  to 
welcome  the  strangers.  They  were  now  upon  the 
causeway  which  led  from  the  main  land  to  the  island 
city.  The  long  and  narrow  way  was  thronged  with 
crowds  which  could  not  be  numbered,  while  on  each 
side  the  lake  was  darkened  with  boats.  Soon  the 
glittering  train  of  the  emperor  appeared  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

Montezuma  was  accompanied  by  the  highest  pos- 
sible pomp  of  semi-barbarian  etiquette  and  splendor. 
He  was  seated  in  a  gorgeous  palanquin,  waving  with 
plumes  and  glittering  with  gold,  and  was  borne  on 
the  shoulders  of  four  noblemen.  Three  officers,  each 
holding  a  golden  rod,  walked  before  him.  Others 
supported  over  his  head,  by  four  posts,  to  shelter 
him  from  the  sun,  a  canopy  of  beautiful  workman- 
ship, richly  embellished  with  green  feathers,  and  gold, 
and  precious  gems.  The  monarch  wore  upon  his 
head  a  golden  crown,  surmounted  by  a  rich  head- 
dress of  plumes.  A  mantle,  richly  embroidered  with 
the  most  costly  ornaments,  was  folded  gracefully  upon 


i42  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

his  shoulders.  Buskins,  fringed  with  gold,  fitted 
closely  to  his  legs,  and  the  soles  of  his  shoes  were 
of  gold.  He  was  tall,  well  formed,  and  a  peculiarly 
handsome  man. 

As  the  monarch  drew  near,  Cortez  dismounted, 
and  advanced  on  foot  to  meet  him.  At  the  same 
time  Montezuma  alighted  from  his  palanquin,  and, 
leaning  upon  the  arms  of  two  of  the  highest  mem- 
bers of  his  court,  with  great  dignity  approached  his 
dreaded  guest.  His  attendants  in  the  mean  time 
spread  before  their  monarch  rich  carpets,  that  his 
sacred  feet  might  not  come  in  contact  with  the 
ground.  An  expression  of  anxiety  and  of  deep  mel- 
ancholy overspread  the  countenance  of  the  sovereign. 

The  Mexican  emperor  and  the  Spanish  marauder 
met  in  the  interchange  of  all  Mexican  and  Castilian 
courtesies.  After  the  exchange  of  a  few  words,  the 
whole  blended  cortege  marched  through  the  immense 
crowd,  which  opened  before  them,  and  entered  the 
imperial  city.  "Who,"  exclaims  Diaz,  "could  count 
the  number  of  men,  women,  and  children  which 
thronged  the  streets,  the  canals,  and  terraces  on  the 
tops  of  the  houses  on  that  day  ?  The  whole  of  what 
I  saw  on  this  occasion  is  so  strongly  imprinted  on 
my  memory  that  it  appears  to  me  as  if  it  had  hap- 
pened only  yesterday.  Glory  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  gave  us  courage  to  venture  upon  such  dangers, 
and  brought  us  safely  through  them." 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         143 

Montezuma  himself  conducted  Cortez  to  the  quar- 
ters which  he  had  prepared  for  his  reception  in  the 
heart  of  the  metropolis.  With  refinement  of  politeness 
which  would  have  done  honor  to  the  court  of  Louis 
XIV.,  he  said,  on  retiring, 

"You  are  now,  with  your  brothers,  in  your  own 
house.  Refresh  yourselves  after  your  fatigue,  and  be 
happy  until  I  return." 

The  spot  assigned  to  the  Spaniards  was  an  im- 
mense palace,  or,  rather,  range  of  mansions,  in  the 
very  center  of  the  metropolis,  erected  by  the  father 
of  Montezuma.  The  buildings  inclosed  an  immense 
court-yard.  The  whole  was  surrounded  by  a  «trong 
stone  wall,  surmounted  with  towers  for  defense 
and  ornament.  Cortez  could  not  have  constructed 
for  himself  a  more  admirable  citadel  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  his  ambitious  and  violent  purposes. 
The  apartment  assigned  to  the  Spanish  chieftain  was 
tapestried  with  the  finest  embroidered  cotton.  The 
rooms  and  courts  were  so  large  as  to  afford  ample 
accommodations  for  the  whole  Spanish  army. 

"This  edifice  was  so  large,"  writes  one  of  the  his- 
torians of  that  day,  "that  both  the  Spaniards  and 
their  allies,  who,  together  with  the  women  and  the 
servants  whom  they  brought  with  them,  exceeded 
seven  thousand  in  number,  were  lodged  in  it.  Every 
where  there  was  the  greatest  cleanliness  and  neatness. 
Almost  all  the  chambers  had  beds  of  mats,  of  rushes, 


i44  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

and  of  palm,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  people, 
and  other  mats,  in  a  round  form,  for  pillows.  They 
had  coverlets  of  fine  cotton,  and  chairs  made  of  sin- 
gle pieces  of  wood.  Some  of  the  chambers  were 
also  carpeted  with  mats,  and  the  walls  were  hung 
with  tapestry  beautifully  colored." 

Cortez,  with  vigilance  which  never  slept,  immedi- 
ately fortified  his  quarters,  so  as  to  guard  against  any 
possible  surprise.  Artillery  was  planted  to  sweep 
every  avenue.  Sentinels  were  posted  at  important 
points,  with  orders  to  observe  the  diligence  by  night 
and  by  day  as  if  they  were  in  the  midst  of  hostile 
armies.  A  large  division  of  the  troops  was  always 
on  guard,  prepared  for  every  possible  emergency. 

In  the  evening,  Montezuma  returned  with  great 
pomp,  to  visit  his  terrible  guests,  and  to  inquire  if 
they  were  provided  with  every  thing  which  could 
promote  their  comfort.  He  brought  with  him  pres- 
ents of  great  value  for  Cortez  and  his  officers,  and 
also  for  each  one  of  the  privates  in  the  Spanish  camp. 
A  long  conference  ensued,  during  which  Montezuma 
betrayed  his  apprehension  that  the  Spaniards  were 
the  conquerors  indicated  by  tradition  and  prophecy  as 
decreed  to  overthrow  the  Mexican  power.  Cortez 
artfully  endeavored  to  frame  his  reply  so  as  to  en- 
courage this  illusion.  He  expatiated  at  great  length 
upon  the  wealth  and  the  resistless  power  of  the  em- 
peror whom    he   served.     "My   master  wishes,"  said 


THE  MARCH  TO  MEXICO         145 

he,  "to  alter  certain  laws  and  customs  in  this  king- 
dom, and  particularly  to  present  to  you  a  religion  far 
superior  to  the  bloody  creed  of  Mexico."  He  then, 
with  great  earnestness,  unfolded  to  the  respectful  mon- 
arch the  principal  doctrines  of  Christianity  —  the  one 
living  and  true  God  —  the  advent  of  the  Savior,  his 
atonement,  and  salvation  through  faith  in  him  —  the 
rites  of  baptism  and  of  the  Lord's  Supper — the  eter- 
nal rewards  of  the  righteous,  and  the  unending  woes 
of  the  wicked.  To  these  remarks  Cortez  added  an 
indignant  remonstrance  against  the  abomination  of 
human  sacrifices,  and  of  eating  the  flesh  of  the 
wretched  victims.  By  way  of  application  to  this  ser- 
mon, which  was  truthful  in  its  main  sentiments,  and 
unquestionably  sincere,  this  most  singular  of  mission- 
aries called  out  the  artillery.  We  would  not  speak 
lightly  of  sacred  things  in  stating  the  fact  that  Cortez 
considered  gunpowder  as  one  of  the  most  important 
of  the  means  of  grace.  He  judged  that  the  thunder 
of  his  cannon,  reverberating  through  the  streets  of  the 
astounded  capital,  would  exert  a  salutary  influence 
upon  the  minds  of  the  natives,  and  produce  that  pli- 
ancy of  spirit,  that  child-like  humility,  so  essential 
both  to  voluntary  and  involuntary  conversion.  The 
most  important  truth  and  the  most  revolting  falsehood 
here  bewilderingly  meet  and  blend. 

The  sun  had  now  gone  down,  and  the  short  twi- 
light was  fading  away  into  the  darkness  of  the  night, 

M.  ofH.— XV— 10 


146  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

when,  at  a  given  signal,  every  cannon  was  discharged. 
The  awful  roar  rolled  through  the  streets  of  the  me- 
tropolis, and  froze  the  hearts  of  the  people  with 
terror.  Were  these  strange  beings,  they  inquired 
among  themselves,  who  thus  wielded  the  heaviest 
thunders  of  heaven,  gods  or  demons  ?  Volley  after 
volley,  in  appalling  peals,  burst  from  the  city,  and 
resounded  over  the  silent  lake.  Dense  volumes  of 
suffocating  smoke,  scarcely  moved  by  the  tranquil  air, 
settled  down  upon  the  streets.  Silence  ensued.  The 
voice  of  Cortez  had  been  heard  in  tones  never  to  be 
forgotten.  The  stars  came  out  in  the  serene  sky,  and 
a  brilliant  tropical  night  enveloped  in  its  folds  the 
fearless  Spaniard  and  the  trembling  Mexican. 

It  was  the  night  of  the  8th  of  November.  But 
seven  months  had  elapsed  since  the  Spaniards  landed 
in  the  country.  The  whole  Spanish  force,  exclusive 
of  the  natives  whom  they  had  induced  to  join  them, 
consisted  of  but  four  hundred  and  fifty  men.  They 
were  now  two  hundred  miles  from  the  coast,  in  the 
very  heart  of  an  empire  numbering  many  millions, 
and  by  sagacity,  courage,  and  cruelty,  they  had  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  both  monarch  and  people  into 
almost  entire  submission  to  their  sway.  The  genius 
of  romance  can  narrate  few  tales  more  marvelous. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

The  Metropolis  Invaded. 

The  ride  through  Tenochtitlan. —  Visit  to  the  market-place. —  The  pyramidal 
temple. —  View  from  the  summit. —  The  gong. —  Indignation  of  Cortez. — 
The  chapel. —  General  appearance  of  the  city. — Cortez  determines  to  seize 
Montezuma. —  The  pretext. —  Engagement  at  Vera  Cruz. —  Cortez  de- 
mands atonement. —  Montezuma  conveyed  to  the  Spanish  quarters. —  The 
body-guard. —  Qualpopoca  arrested. —  Condemned  to  be  burned  alive. — 
Atrocious  insult  to  Montezuma. —  Execution  of  the  victims. —  Cortez  the 
emperor. —  The  Spanish  commission.—  Contributions  exacted.—  Discon- 
tent of  the  soldiers. —  Building  of  the  brigantines —  Indignation  of  Caca- 
matzin.— His  arrest  and  imprisonment. — Acknowledgment  of  vassalage. 

—  Indignation  of  the  nobles. —  Cortez  determines  to  overthrow  the  system 
of  idolatry. —  Opposition. —  Indications  of  trouble. —  Hardships  endured. 

—  Alarming  intelligence. —  An  armament  sent  after  Cortez. —  Surrender 
of  Vera  Cruz  demanded. —  The  envoy  sent  to  Cortez. —  Montezuma  elated. 

—  Preparations  for  war. —  Terms  of  accommodation. —  Cortez  marches  on 
Narvaez. —  The  storm. —  Narvaez's  army  seeks  shelter. —  The  harangue 
and  the  attack. —  Narvaez  made  prisoner. —  The  surrender. —  The  artful- 
ness of  Cortez. —  The  insurrection  in  the  metropolis. —  Disaffection  of  the 
inhabitants. —  They  arrive  at  the  causeway. —  Cause  of  the  insurrection. — 
Displeasure  of  Cortez. —  His  insolent  manner. —  Diaz's  record. —  Motives 
for  the  attack. —  The  massacre  intended  to  prevent  insurrection. 

The  next  morning,  Cortez,  with  a  showy  retinue 
of  horsemen,  prancing  through  streets  upon 
which  hoof  had  never  before  trodden,  called 
upon  the  emperor.  The  streets  were  lined,  and  the 
roofs  of  the  houses  crowded  with  multitudes  gazing 
upon   the.   amazing   spectacle.     The   Spanish   chieftain 

047) 


148  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

was  kindly  received  by  the  emperor,  and  three  days 
were  appointed  to  introduce  him  to  all  the  objects  of 
interest  in  the  capital.  Tenochtitlan  was  the  na- 
tive name  by  which  the  imperial  city  was  then 
known. 

They  first  visited  the  great  public  square  or  market- 
place. An  immense  concourse  was  here  assembled, 
engaged  in  peaceful  traffic.  Three  judges  sat  in  state 
at  the  end  of  the  square,  to  settle  all  difficulties.  A 
numerous  body  of  police,  ever  moving  through  the 
crowd,  prevented  all  riot  or  confusion.  Though  there 
were  many  other  minor  market-places  scattered  through 
the  city,  this  was  the  principal  one. 

Cortez  then  expressed  the  wish  that  he  might  be 
conducted  to  the  great  pyramidal  temple,  which 
reared  its  lofty  structure  from  the  heart  of  the  city. 
The  summit  of  the  pyramid  was  an  extended  plain, 
where  several  hundred  priests  could  officiate  in  sacri- 
fice. The  corners  of  the  area  were  ornamented  with 
towers.  One  hundred  and  fourteen  steps  led  to  the 
summit  of  the  temple.  Several  large  altars  stood 
here,  besmeared  with  the  blood  of  human  sacrifices, 
and  there  was  also  a  hideous  image  of  a  dragon  pol- 
luted with  gore. 

From  this  towering  eminence  the  whole  adjacent 
country  lay  spread  out  before  the  eye  of  Cortez  in 
surpassing  loveliness.  Gardens,  groves,  villages,  wav- 
ing fields  of  grain,  and  the  wide  expanse  of  the  placid 


THE  METROPOLIS  INVADED      149 

xakes,  covered  with  boats  gliding  rapidly  over  the 
mirrored  waters,  presented  a  scene  of  beauty  which 
excited  the  enthusiasm  of  Cortez  to  the  highest  pitch. 
They  then  entered  the  sanctuaries  of  the  temple, 
where  human  hearts  were  smoking,  and  almost 
throbbing,  upon  the  altars  before  the  revolting  im- 
ages of  their  gods.  On  the  summit  of  the  temple 
there  was  an  enormous  drum  or  gong,  which  was 
struck  when  the  miserable  victim  was  shrieking  be- 
neath the  knife  of  sacrifice.  Its  doleful  tones,  it  was 
said,  floating  over  the  still  waters  of  the  lake,  could 
be  heard  at  the  distance  of  many  miles. 

From  these  sickening  scenes  Cortez  turned  away 
in  disgust,  and  exclaimed  indignantly  to  Monte- 
zuma, 

"How  can  you,  wise  and  powerful  as  you  are, 
put  trust  in  such  representatives  or  the  devil  ?  Why 
do  you  allow  your  people  to  be  butchered  before 
these  abominable  idols  ?  Let  me  place  here  the  cross, 
and  the  image  of  the  blessed  Virgin  and  of  her  Son, 
and  the  influence  of  these  detestable  idols  will  soon 
vanish." 

Montezuma,  shocked  by  words  which  he  deemed 
so  blasphemous,  and  dreading  the  swift  vengeance  of 
the  gods,  hurried  his  irreverent  guest  away. 

"Go,"  said  he,  "go  hence,  I  entreat  you,  while  I 
remain  to  appease,  if  possible,  the  wrath  of  the  gods 
whom  you  have  so  dreadfully  provoked." 


150  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

But  these  scenes  aroused  anew  the  religious  zeal 
of  Cortez  and  his  companions.  As  they  returned  to 
their  lodgings,  they  immediately  converted  one  of  the 
halls  of  their  residence  into  a  Christian  chapel.  Here 
the  rites  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  were  intro- 
duced, and  the  whole  army  of  Cortez,  with  soldierly 
devotion,  attended  mass  every  day.  Good  Father 
Olmedo,  with  perhaps  a  clouded  intellect,  but  with 
that  recognition  of  the  universal  brotherhood  of  man 
which  sincere  piety  ever  confers,  prayed  fervently  for 
God's  blessing  upon  his  frail  children  of  every  name 
and  nation. 

The  Spaniards  estimated  the  population  of  the  city 
at  about  five  hundred  thousand.  The  streets  were 
very  regularly  laid  out  at  right  angles.  Many  of  them 
were  wide,  and  lined  with  shade-trees.  The  houses 
of  the  common  people  were  small  but  comfortable 
cottages,  built  of  reeds  or  of  bricks  baked  in  the  sun. 
The  dwellings  of  the  nobles  and  of  the  more  wealthy 
inhabitants  were  strongly-built  mansions  of  stone, 
very  extensive  on  the  ground  floor,  though  gener- 
ally but  one  story  high.  They  were  inclosed  in 
gardens  blooming  with  flowers.  Fountains  of  cool 
water,  conveyed  through  earthen  pipes,  played  in 
the  court-yards.  The  police  regulations  were  unsur- 
passed by  those  of  any  city  in  Europe.  A  thou- 
sand persons  were  continually  employed  in  sweeping 
and   watering   the   streets.      So  clean  were  the   well- 


THE   METROPOLIS  INVADED      151 

cemented  pavements  kept,  that  "a  man  could  walk 
through  the  streets,"  says  one  of  the  Spanish  histo- 
rians, "with  as  little  danger  of  soiling  his  feet  as  his 
hands." 

Day  after  day  was  passed  in  the  interchange  of 
visits,  and  in  the  careful  examination  by  Cortez  of  the 
strength  and  the  resources  of  the  city.  He  had  now 
been  a  week  in  the  capital,  and  the  question  naturally 
arose,  What  is  next  to  be  done  ?  He  was,  indeed, 
perplexed  to  decide  this  question.  Montezuma  treated 
him  with  such  extraordinary  hospitality,  supplying  all 
his  wants,  and  leaving  him  at  perfect  liberty,  that  it 
was  difficult  for  one,  who  laid  any  claim  whatever  to 
a  conscience,  to  find  occasion  to  pick  a  quarrel.  To 
remain  inactive,  merely  enjoying  the  luxury  of  a  most 
hospitable  entertainment,  was  not  only  accomplishing 
nothing,  but  was  also  enervating  the  army.  It  was 
also  to  be  apprehended  that  the  Mexicans  would  grad- 
ually regain  their  courage  as  they  counted  the  small 
number  of  the  invaders,  and  fall  upon  them  with  re- 
sistless power. 

The  Tlascalans,  who  had  rioted  in  blood  at  Cholula, 
seemed  anxious  for  a  renewal  of  that  scene  of  awful 
butchery  in  the  streets  of  Mexico.  They  assured  Cor- 
tez that  he  had  every  thing  to  fear  from  the  treachery 
of  Montezuma;  that  he  had  lured  them  into  the  city 
but  to  inclose  them  in  a  trap;  that  the  drawbridges 
of  the  causeways  need   but   be  removed,  and   escape 


152  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

for  the  Spaniards  would  be  impossible.  They  assured 
him  that  the  Mexican  priests  had  counseled  Monte- 
zuma, in  the  name  of  the  gods,  to  admit  the  strangers 
into  the  capital  that  he  might  cut  them  off  at  a  blow. 
It  was  obvious,  even  to  the  meanest  soldier,  that  all 
this  might  be  true,  and  that  they  were  in  reality  in  a 
trap  from  which  it  would  be  exceedingly  difficult  to 
extricate  themselves,  should  the  Mexicans  manifest 
any  resolute  hostility. 

On  the  east  the  island  city  had  no  connection  with 
the  main  land,  and  could  only  be  approached  over 
the  broad  waters  of  the  lake  by  canoes.  On  the  west 
the  city  was  entered  by  an  artificial  causeway,  built 
of  earth  and  stone,  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length,  and 
but  thirty  feet  in  breadth.  A  similar  causeway  on  the 
northwest,  three  miles  long,  connected  the  city  with 
the  main  land.  There  was  another  causeway  on  the 
south,  six  miles  long.  There  were  many  openings 
along  these  causeways,  through  which  the  waters  of 
the  lake  flowed  unimpeded.  These  openings  were 
bridged  over  by  means  of  timber.  The  destruction  of 
these  bridges,  which  might  be  accomplished  at  any 
hour,  would  render  an  escape  for  the  Spaniards  al- 
most impossible. 

In  this  dilemma,  the  bold  Spaniard  adopted  the 
audacious  yet  characteristic  plan  of  seizing  Montezuma, 
who  was  regarded  with  almost  religious  adoration  by 
his  subjects,  and  holding  him  as  a  hostage.     The  fal- 


THE  METROPOLIS  INVADED      153 

lowing  occurrence  furnished  Cortez  with  a  plausible 
pretext  to  pick  a  quarrel. 

We  have  before  mentioned  that  the  Totonacs, 
wishing  to  escape  from  the  subjection  of  the  Mex- 
icans, had  acknowledged  themselves  vassals  of  the 
King  of  Spain.  When  the  officers  of  Montezuma  at- 
tempted, as  usual,  to  collect  the  taxes,  the  Totonacs 
refused  payment.  Force  was  resorted  to,  and  a  con- 
flict arose.  The  colony  at  Vera  Cruz  immediately 
sent  some  soldiers  to  aid  their  allies,  headed  by  Es- 
calente,  the  commander  of  the  Spanish  garrison.  In. 
the  engagement  which  ensued,  Escalente  and  seven 
of  his  men  were  mortally  wounded,  one  horse  was, 
killed,  and  one  Spaniard  taken  captive,  who  soona 
however,  died  of  his  wounds.  Still  the  Spaniards, 
with  their  Totonac  allies,  were  victorious,  and  repelled 
the  Mexicans  with  much  slaughter.  The  vanquished 
party  cut  off  the  head  of  their  unfortunate  prisoner,, 
and  carried  it  in  triumph  to  several  cities,  to  show 
that  their  foes  were  not  invulnerable. 

With  alacrity  Cortez  availed  himself  of  this  event. 
He  immediately  repaired  to  the  palace  of  Montezuma, 
and,  with  bitter  reproaches,  accused  him  of  treacher- 
ously ordering  an  assault  upon  the  Spaniards  who 
had  been  left  at  Vera  Cruz.  Sternly  the  pitiless  Span- 
iard demanded  reparation  for  the  loss,  and  atonement 
for  the  insult.  Montezuma,  confounded  at  this  unex- 
pected  accusation,    earnestly    declared   that   the   order 


i54  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

had  not  been  issued  by  him,  but  that  the  distant  offi- 
cer had  acted  on  his  own  responsibility,  without  con- 
sulting the  sovereign.  Ungenerously  he  added  that, 
in  proof  of  his  innocence,  he  would  immediately  com- 
mand the  offending  officer,  Qualpopoca,  and  his  ac- 
complices, to  be  brought  prisoners  to  Mexico,  and  to 
be  delivered  to  Cortez  for  any  punishment  which  the 
Spaniards  might  decree. 

Cortez  now  feigned  a  relenting  mood,  and  declared 
that  he  could  not  himself  doubt  the  word  of  the  em- 
peror, but  that  something  more  was  requisite  to  ap- 
pease the  rage  of  his  followers.  "Nothing,"  said  he, 
"can  satisfy  them  of  your  sincerity  and  of  your  hon- 
orable intentions,  unless  you  will  leave  your  palace, 
and  take  up  your  abode  in  the  Spanish  quarters. 
This  will  pacify  my  men,  and  they  will  honor  you 
there  as  becomes  a  great  monarch." 

When  Marina  interpreted  this  strange  proposal, 
Montezuma  was  for  a  moment  so  struck  with  amaze- 
ment as  to  be  almost  bereft  of  speech.  His  cheek 
was  flushed  with  shame  and  rage,  and  then  the  hec- 
tic glow  passed  away  into  deadly  paleness.  His 
ancient  spirit  was  for  a  moment  revived,  and  he  ex- 
claimed, indignantly, 

"When  did  ever  a  monarch  suffer  himself  to  be 
tamely  led  to  a  prison?  Even  were  I  willing  to  de- 
base myself  in  so  vile  a  manner,  would  not  my  peo- 
ple immediately  arm  themselves  to  set  me  freer" 


CAPTURE     OF    MONTEZUMA. 


THE  METROPOLIS  INVADED      155 

One  of  the  impetuous  attendants  of  Cortez,  as  the 
altercation  continued,  exclaimed,  grasping   his   sword, 

"Why  waste  time  in  vain?  Let  us  either  seize 
him  instantly  or  stab  him  to  the  heart." 

Montezuma,  though  he  did  not  understand  his 
words,  observed  the  threatening  voice  and  the  fierce 
gesture,  and,  turning  to  the  amiable  interpretress, 
Marina,  inquired  what  he  said. 

"Sire,"  she  replied,  with  her  characteristic  mildness 
and  tact,  "as  your  subject,  I  desire  your  happiness; 
but  as  the  confidante  of  those  men,  I  know  their 
secrets,  and  am  acquainted  with  their  character.  If 
you  yield  to  their  wishes,  you  will  be  treated  with  all 
the  honor  due  to  your  royal  person;  but  if  you  persist 
in  your  refusal,  your  life  will  be  in  danger." 

Montezuma,  reading  in  these  events,  as  he  sup- 
posed, but  the  decrees  of  fate,  now  yielded.  He 
called  his  officers,  and  informed  them  of  his  decision. 
Though  they  were  plunged  into  utter  consternation  by 
the  intelligence,  they  did  not  venture  to  question  his 
will.  The  imperial  palanquin  was  brought,  and  the 
humiliated  emperor  was  conveyed,  followed  by  a 
mourning  crowd  to  the  Spanish  quarters.  Montezuma 
endeavored  to  appease  them,  and  to  prevent  any  act 
of  violence,  by  assuring  the  people  that  it  was  his 
own  pleasure  to  go  and  reside  with  his  friends.  He 
was  now  so  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  resistless 
power  of  the  Spaniards,  and  that  he  was  swept  along 


156  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

by  the  decrees  of  fate,  that  he  dreaded  any  movement 
of  resistance  on  the  part  of  his  people.  * 

He  was  magnificently  imprisoned.  His  own  servants 
were  permitted  to  attend  him,  and  he  continued  to 
administer  the  government  as  if  he  had  been  in  his 
own  palace.  All  the  forms  of  courtly  etiquette  were 
scrupulously  observed  in  approaching  his  person. 
Ostensibly  to  confer  upon  him  greater  honor,  a  body- 
guard of  stern  Spanish  veterans  was  appointed  for  his 
protection.  This  body-guard,  with  all  external  dem- 
onstrations of  obsequiousness,  watched  him  by  night 
and  by  day,  rendering  escape  impossible. 

This  violence,  however,  was  but  the  beginning  of 
the  humiliation  and  anguish  imposed  upon  the  un- 
happy monarch.  The  governor,  Qualpopoca,  who 
had  ventured  to  resist  the  Spaniards,  was  brought  a 
captive  to  the  capital,  with  his  son  and  fifteen  of  the 
principal  officers  who  had  served  under  him.  They 
were  immediately  surrendered  to  Cortez,  that  he 
might  determine  their  crime  and  their  punishment. 
Qualpopoca  was  put  to  the  torture.  He  avowed,  in 
his  intolerable  agony,  that  he  had  only  obeyed  the 
orders  of  his  sovereign.  Cortez,  who  wished  to  im- 
press  the    Mexicans    with    the    idea   that   it   was  the 


*Bernal  Diaz  says,  "It  having  been  decided  that  we  should  seize 
the  person  of  the  king,  we  passed  the  whole  of  the  preceding  night  in 
praying  to  our  Lord  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  guide  us,  so  that 
"what  we  were  going  to  do  should  redound  to  his  holy  service." 


THE  METROPOLIS  INVADED   157 

greatest  of  all  conceivable  crimes  to  cause  the  death 
of  a  Spaniard,  determined  to  inflict  upon  them 
a  punishment  which  should  appal  every  beholder. 
They  were  all  doomed  to  be  burned  alive  in  the  great 
market-place  of  the  city.  To  allow  no  time  for  any 
resistance  to  be  organized,  they  were  immediately 
led  out  for  execution.  In  the  royal  arsenals  there  was 
an  immense  amount  of  arrows,  spears,  javelins,  and 
other  wooden  martial  weapons,  which  had  been  col- 
lected for  the  defense  of  the  city.  These  the  soldiers 
gathered,  thus  disarming  the  population,  and  heaped 
them  up  in  an  immense  funeral  pile. 

While  these  atrocities  were  in  preparation,  Cortez 
entered  the  presence  of  his  captive,  Montezuma,  and 
sternly  accused  him  of  being  an  accomplice  in  the 
death  of  the  Spaniards.  He  then  pitilessly  ordered 
the  soldiers  who  accompanied  him  to  bind  upon  the 
hands  and  the  feet  of  the  monarch  the  iron  manacles  of 
a  felon.  It  was  one  of  the  most  cruel  insults  which 
could  have  been  inflicted  upon  fallen  majesty.  Mon- 
tezuma was  speechless  with  horror,  and  his  attend- 
ants, who  regarded  the  person  of  their  sovereign 
with  religious  veneration,  v/ailed  and  wept.  The 
shackles  being  adjusted,  Cortez  turned  abruptly  upon 
his  heel,  leaving  the  monarch  in  the  endurance  of 
this  ignominious  punishment,  and  went  out  to  attend 
to  the  execution  of  the  victims,  who  were  already 
bound  to  the  stake. 


158  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

The  cruel  fires  were  then  kindled.  The  flames 
crackled,  and  rose  in  fierce,  devouring  billows  around 
the  sufferers.  The  stern  soldiery  stood,  with  musketry 
and  artillery  loaded  and  primed,  ready  to  repel  any 
attempts  at  rescue.  Thousands  of  Mexicans,  with  no 
time  for  consideration,  gazed  with  awe  upon  the  ap- 
palling spectacle;  and  the  Indian  chieftains,  without 
a  struggle  or  an  audible  groan,  were  burned  to  ashes. 
The  dreadful  execution  being  terminated,  and  the 
blood  of  the  Spaniards  being  thus  avenged  by  the 
degradation  of  the  sovereign  and  the  death  of  his 
officers,  Cortez  returned  to  Montezuma,  and  ordered 
the  fetters  to  be  struck  from  his  limbs. 

Step  after  step  of  violence  succeeded,  until  Mon- 
tezuma was  humbled  to  the  dust.  The  featfu!  rigor 
with  which  Cortez  had  punished  even  the  slightest 
attempt  to  resist  the  Spaniards  overawed  the  nation. 
Cortez  was  now  virtually  the  Emperor  of  Mexico. 
The  general  laws  and  customs  of  the  nation  remained 
unchanged;  but  Cortez  issued  his  commands  through 
Montezuma,  and  the  mandates  of  the  imprisoned  sov- 
ereign were  submissively  obeyed.  With  great  skill, 
the  Spanish  adventurer  availed  himself  of  these  new 
powers.  He  sent  a  Spanish  commission,  by  the  au- 
thority and  under  the  protection  of  Montezuma,  to 
explore  the  empire,  to  ascertain  its  strength  and  its 
weakness,  its  wealth  and  its  resources.  These  officers 
went  to  nearly   all   the  provinces,  and,  by   their  arro- 


THE  METROPOLIS  INVADED      159 

gant  display  of  power,  endeavored  to  intimidate  the 
natives,  and  to  prepare  them  for  entire  subjection  to 
Spain. 

Mexican  officers,  whose  fidelity  Cortez  suspected, 
were  degraded,  and  their  places  supplied  by  others 
whose  influence  he  had  secured.  A  general  contribution 
of  gold  was  exacted  throughout  the  whole  Mexican 
territories  for  the  benefit  of  the  conquerors. 

A  large  sum  was  thus  collected.  One  fifth  of  this 
was  laid  aside  for  his  majesty,  the  King  of  Spain. 
Another  fifth  was  claimed  by  Cortez.  The  remaining 
portion  was  so  greatly  absorbed  to  defray  the  innu- 
merable expenses  of  the  expedition,  that  only  about  one 
hundred  crowns  fell  to  the  lot  of  each  soldier.  This 
excited  discontent  so  deep  and  loud  that  Cortez  was 
compelled  to  attempt  to  pacify  his  men  by  a  public 
address. 

"He  called  us  together,"  says  Diaz,  "  and  in  a 
long  set  speech,  gave  us  a  great  many  honeyed 
words,  which  he  had  an  extraordinary  facility  of  do- 
ing, wondering  how  we  could  be  so  solicitous  about 
a  Tttle  paltry  gold  when  the  whole  country  would 
soon  be  ours,  with  all  its  rich  mines,  wherewith  there 
was  enough  to  make  us  great  lords  and  princes,  and 
I  know  not  what." 

Cortez  was  cautious  as  well  as  bold.  To  prepare 
for  a  retreat  in  case  of  necessity,  should  the  Mexicans 
seize   their   arms   and   break   down  their   bridges,    he 


160  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

wished,  without  exciting  the  suspicions  of  the  na- 
tives, to  build  some  vessels  which  would  command 
the  lake.  He  accomplished  this  with  his  usual  ad- 
dress. In  conversation  with  Montezuma,  he  gave  the 
monarch  such  glowing  accounts  of  floating  palaces, 
which  would  glide  rapidly  over  the  water  without 
oars,  as  to  excite  the  intense  curiosity  of  his  captive. 
Montezuma  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  see  these 
wonderful  fabrics.  Cortez,  under  the  pretext  of 
gratifying  this  desire,  very  obligingly  consented  to 
build  two  brigantines.  The  resources  of  the  em- 
pire were  immediately  placed  at  the  disposal  of 
Cortez.  A  multitude  of  men  were  sent  to  the  forest 
to  cut  down  ship-timber  and  draw  it  to  the  lake. 
Several  hundred  men  of  burden  were  dispatched  to 
Vera  Cruz  to  transport  naval  stores  from  that  place 
to  Mexico.  Aided  by  so  many  strong  arms,,  the 
Spanish  carpenters  soon  succeeded  in  constructing 
two  vessels,  which  amused  the  monarch  and  his 
people,  and  which  afforded  the  Spaniards  an  invalua- 
ble resource  in  the  hour  of  danger. 

But  the  insolent  bearing  of  the  Spaniards  had  egw 
become  to  many  quite  unendurable.  Cacamatzin^  the 
chief  of  the  powerful  city  of  Tezcuco,  at  the  farther 
extremity  of  the  lake,  was  a  nephew  of  Montezuma. 
He  was  a  bold  man,  and  his  indignation,  in  view  of 
the  pusillanimity  of  his  uncle,  at  last  overleaped  his 
prudence.     He  began   to   assemble   an   army  to  make 


THE  METROPOLIS  INVADED      161 

war  upon  the  Spaniards.  The  Mexicans  began  to 
rally  around  their  new  leader.  The  indications  were 
alarming  to  Cortez,  and  even  Montezuma  became  ap- 
prehensive that  he  might  lose  his  crown,  for  it  was 
reported  that  Cacamatzin,  regarding  his  uncle  as  de- 
graded and  a  captive,  intended  to  seize  the  reins  of 
empire.  Under  these  circumstances,  Cortez  and  Mon- 
tezuma acted  in  perfect  harmony  against  their  com- 
mon foe.  After  several  unsuccessful  stratagems  to 
get  possession  of  the  person  of  the  bold  chieftain,  Mon- 
tezuma sent  some  of  his  nobles,  who  secretly  seized 
him,  and  brought  him  a  prisoner  to  the  capital,  where 
he  was  thrust  into  prison.  A  partisan  of  Cortez  was 
sent  to  take  the  place  of  Cacamatzin  as  governor -of 
the  province  of  Tezcuco.  Thus  the  danger  was 
averted. 

Cortez  still  felt  much  solicitude  concerning  the 
judgment  of  the  King  of  Spain  respecting  his  bold 
assumption  of  authority.  He  well  knew  that  Velas- 
quez, the  governor  of  Cuba,  whose  dominion  he  had 
so  recklessly  renounced,  would  report  the  proceedings 
to  the  court  at  Madrid,  sustained  by  all  the  influence 
he  could  command.  To  conciliate  his  sovereign,  and 
to  bribe  him  to  indulgence,  he  extorted  from  the 
weeping,  spirit-crushed  sovereign  of  Mexico  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  vassalage  to  the  King  of  Spain. 
This  humiliating  deed  was  invested  with  much  im- 
posing pomp.  All  the  nobles  and  lords  were  assem- 
M.  of  H.—  xv— 11 


162  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

bled  in  a  large  hall  in  the  Spanish  quarters.  The 
poor  monarch  wept  bitterly,  and  his  voice  often  broke 
with  emotion  as  he  tremblingly  said, 

"I  speak  as  the  gods  direct.  Our  prophets  have 
told  us  that  a  new  race  is  to  come  to  supplant  our 
own.  The  hour  has  arrived.  The  scepter  passes 
from  my  hands  by  the  decrees  of  fate  which  no  one 
can  resist.  I  now  surrender  to  the  King  of  the  East 
my  power  and  allegiance,  and  promise  to  pay  to  him 
an  annual  tribute." 

A  general  outburst  of  amazement  and  indignation 
from  the  nobles  followed  this  address.  Cortez,  appre- 
hensive that  he  might  have  proceeded  a  little  too  far, 
endeavored  to  appease  the  rising  agitation  by  the  as- 
surance that  his  master  had  no  intention  to  deprive 
Montezuma  of  his  regal  power,  or  to  make  any  inno- 
vations upon  the  manners  and  the  laws  of  the  Mexi- 
cans. The  act  of  submission  and  homage  was,  how- 
ever, executed  with  all  the  formalities  which  Cortez 
saw  fit  to  prescribe.  The  nobles  retired,  exasperated 
to  the  highest  degree,  and  burning  with  desires  for 
vengeance. 

Encouraged  by  these  wonderful  successes,  and  by 
the  tame  submission  of  the  monarch,  Cortez  resolved 
upon  the  entire  overthrow,  by  violence  if  necessary, 
of   the    whole    system    of   idolatry,  and    to    introduce 


THE  METROPOLIS  INVADED      163 

Catholic  Christianity  in  its  stead.  He  had  often,  with 
the  most  importunate  zeal,  urged  Montezuma  to  re- 
nounce his  false  gods  and  to  embrace  the  Christian 
faith.  But  superstition  was  too  firmly  enthroned  in 
the  heart  of  the  Mexican  monarch  to  be  easily  sup- 
planted. To  every  thing  but  this  the  monarch  was 
ready  to  yield;  but  every  proposition  to  renounce  his 
gods  he  rejected  with  horror.  Cortez  at  length  firmly 
ordered  his  soldiers  to  march  to  the  temples  and 
sweep  them  clean  of  every  vestige  of  paganism.  This 
roused  the  priests.  They  seized  their  arms,  and  the 
alarm  was  spread  rapidly  through  the  streets  of  the 
city.  Vast  multitudes,  grasping  such  weapons  as 
they  could  get,  assembled  around  the  temples,  resolved 
to  brave  every  peril  in  defense  of  their  religion. 
Matters  assumed  an  aspect  so  threatening,  that,  for  the 
first  time,  Cortez  found  rt  necessary  to  draw  back. 
He  contented  himself  with  simply  ejecting  the  gods 
from  one  of  the  shrines,  and  in  erecting  in  their  stead 
an  image  of  the  Virgin. 

There  were  now  many  indications  of  approaching 
trouble.  The  natives  were  greatly  provoked,  and  it 
was  evident  that  they  were  watching  for  a  favorable 
opportunity  to  rise  against  their  invaders.  Cortez 
practiced  the  most  sleepless  vigilance.  Diaz  speaks 
thus  of  the  hardships  he  and  his  comrades  endured: 

"During   the    nine   months   that  we   remained   in 


1 64  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

Mexico,  every  man,  without  any  distinction  between 
officers  and  soldiers,  slept  on  his  arms,  in  his  quilted 
jacket  and  gorget.  They  lay  on  mats  or  straw  spread 
on  the  floor,  and  each  was  obliged  to  hold  himself  as 
alert  as  if  he  had  been  on  guard.  This  became  so 
habitual  to  me,  that  even  now,  in  my  advanced  age, 
I  always  sleep  in  my  clothes,  and  never  in  any  bed." 

just  in  this  crisis  alarming  intelligence  was  re- 
ceived from  the  commander  of  the  garrison  at  Vera 
Cruz.  One  of  the  ships  of  the  delegation  sent  to 
Spain,  of  which  we  have  previously  spoken,  had,  con- 
trary to  the  orders  of  Cortez,  stopped  at  Cuba.  In 
this  way  the  indignant  governor,  Velasquez,  learned 
that  Cortez  had  renounced  all  connection  with  him, 
and  had  set  up  an  independent  colony.  His  anger 
was  roused  to  the  utmost,  and  he  resolved  upon  sum- 
mary vengeance.  It  so  happened  that  Velasquez  had 
just  received  from  his  sovereign  the  appointment  of 
governor  for  life,  and  was  authorized  to  prosecute 
discoveries  in  Mexico  with  very  extensive  and  exclu- 
sive privileges  and  powers. 

He  immediately  fitted  out  an  armament  consisting 
of  nineteen  ships,  with  eighty  horsemen,  fourteen 
hundred  soldiers,  and  twenty  pieces  of  cannon.  This 
was,  in  that  day,  a  formidable  force.  The  comman- 
dant, Narvaez,  was  ordered  to  seize  Cortez  and  his 
principal  officers,  and   send  them    in   chains  to  Cuba. 


THE  METROPOLIS  INVADED      165 

He  was  then,  in  the  name  of  Velasquez,  to  prosecute 
the  discovery  and  the  conquest  of  the  country. 

After  a  prosperous  voyage,  the  fleet  cast  anchor  in 
the  Bay  of  St.  Juan  de  Ulua,  and  the  soldiers  were 
landed.  Narvaez  then  sent  a  summons  to  the  gov- 
ernor of  Vera  Cruz  to  surrender.  Sandoval,  the  com- 
mandant, however,  being  zealously  attached  to  Cortez, 
seized  the  envoy  and  his  attendants,  and  sent  them 
in  chains  to  the  capital,  with  intelligence  of  the  im- 
pending peril.  Cortez,  with  his  wonted  sagacity, 
received  them  as  friends,  ordered  their  chains  to  be 
struck  off,  condemned  the  severity  of  Sandoval,  and 
loaded  them  with  caresses  and  presents.  He  thus 
won  their  confidence,  and  drew  from  them  all  the 
particulars  of  the  force,  and  the  intentions  of  the  ex- 
pedition. Cortez  had  great  cause  for  alarm  when  he 
learned  that  Narvaez  was  instructed  to  espouse  the 
cause  of  Montezuma;  to  assure  the  Mexican  monarch 
that  the  violence  which  he  had  suffered  was  un- 
authorized by  the  King  of  Spain,  and  that  he  was 
ready  to  assist  Montezuma  and  his  subjects  in  repel- 
ling the  invaders  from  the  capital.  From  peril  so 
imminent  no  ordinary  man  could  have  extricated  him- 
self. Narvaez  was  already  on  the  march,  and  the 
natives,  enraged  against  Cortez,  were  in  great  num- 
bers ioining  the  standard  of  the  new-comers.  Already 
emissaries  from  the  camp  of  Narvaez  had  reached  the 
capital,  and  had  communicated  to  Montezuma,  through 


166  HERNANDO    CORTEX 

the  nobles,  intelligence  that  Narvaez  was  marching  to 
his  relief.  Montezuma  was  overjoyed,  and  his  nobles 
were  elated  with  hope,  as  they  secretly  collected  arms 
and  marshaled  their  forces  for  battle. 

Cortez  immediately  dispatched  Father  Olmedo  to 
meet  Narvaez  to  propose  terms  of  accommodation. 
He  was  fully  aware  that  no  such  terms  as  he  pro- 
posed could  be  acceded  to;  but  Olmedo  and  his  at- 
tendants were  enjoined,  as  the  main  but  secret  object 
of  their  mission,  to  do  every  thing  they  could,  by 
presents,  caresses,  promises,  and  glowing  descriptions 
of  the  greatness  of  Cortez,  his  power,  and  the  glory 
opening  before  him,  to  induce  the  officers  and  soldiers 
of  Narvaez  to  abandon  his  standard,  and  range  them- 
selves under  the  banner  of  Cortez. 

At  the  same  time,  Cortez,  leaving  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  under  Alvarado,  to  guard  the  fortified 
camp  in  the  metropolis,  set  out  by  forced  marches, 
with  the  rest  of  his  force,  to  fall  anexpectedly  upon 
Narvaez.  His  strength  did  not  exceed  two  hundred 
and  fifty  men.  In  a  great  emergency  like  this,  the 
natives  could  not  be  trusted.  As  Cortez  drew  near 
his  foe,  he  found  that  Narvaez  was  encamped  upon  a 
great  plain  in  the  vicinity  of  Zempoalla.  A  terrible 
tempest  arose.  Black  clouds  darkened  the  sky,  and 
the  rain  fell  in  floods.  The  soldiers  of  Narvaez, 
drenched  through  and  through  by  the  unceasing  tor- 
rents, demanded  to  be  led  to  the  shelter  of  the  houses 


THE  METROPOLIS  INVADED      167 

in  Zempoalla.  They  deemed  it  impossible  that  any 
foe  could  approach  in  such  a  storm;  but  the  storm, 
in  all  its  pitiless  fury,  was  the  very  re-enforcement 
which  Cortez  and  his  men  desired.  Black  midnight 
came,  and  the  careering  tempest  swept  the  deluged 
streets  of  Zempoalla,  driving  even  the  sentinels  to 
seek  shelter. 

•  Cortez  gathered  his  little  band  around  him,  and 
roused  them,  by  a  vigorous  harangue,  for  an  imme- 
diate attack.  The  odds  were  fearful.  Cortez  had  but 
two  hundred  and  fifty  men.  Narvaez  had  fifteen 
hundred,  with  nineteen  pieces  of  artillery  and  eighty 
horsemen.  Giving  the  soldiers  for  their  countersign 
the  inspiring  words,  "The  Holy  Spirit,"  they  rushed 
through  the  darkness  and  the  raging  storm  upon  the 
unsuspecting  foe.  They  first  directed  their  energies 
for  the  capture  of  the  artillery.  The  party  who  made 
this  attack  was  headed  by  Pizarro,  "an  active  lad," 
says  Diaz,  "whose  name,  however,  was  at  that  time 
as  little  known  as  that  of  Peru."  The  guns  were 
seized,  after  a  short  and  not  a  very  sanguinary  strug- 
gle. They  then,  without  a  moment's  delay,  turned 
upon  the  horsemen.  But  the  sleeping  foe  was  now 
effectually  aroused.  A  short  scene  of  consternation, 
clamor,  horror,  and  blood  ensued.  The  companions 
of  Cortez  fought  with  the  energies  of  despair.  To 
them,  defeat  was  certain  death.  The  soldiers  of  Nar- 
vaez  were  bewildered.     Many   of  them,  even   before 


168  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

the  battle,  were  half  disposed  to  abandon  Narvaez 
and  join  the  standard  of  Cortez,  of  v/hose  renow 
they  had  heard  such  glowing  accounts.  Taken  by  ». 
midnight  surprise,  they  fought  manfully  for  a  time. 
But  at  length,  in  the  hot  and  tumultuous  fight,  a 
spear  pierced  the  cheek  of  Narvaez,  and  tore  out  one 
of  his  eyes.  He  was  struck  down  and  made  a  pris- 
oner. This  led  to  an  immediate  surrender.  The 
genius  of  Cortez  had  most  signally  triumphed.  Though 
many  were  wounded  in  this  conflict,  but  two  men 
on  the  side  of  Cortez  were  killed,  and  fifteen  of  the 
party  of  Narvaez. 

The  artful  conqueror  loaded  the  vanquished  with 
favors,  and  soon  succeeded  in  winning  nearly  all  of 
them  to  engage  in  his  service.  With  enthusiasm 
these  new  recruits,  thus  singularly  gained,  rallied 
around  him,  eager  to  march  in  the  paths  of  glory  to 
which  such  a  leader  could  guide  them. 

This  achievement  was  hardly  accomplished  ere  a 
new  peril  menaced  the  victorious  Spaniard.  An  ex- 
press arrived  from  the  Mexican  metropolis  with  the 
intelligence  that  the  Mexicans  had  risen  in  arms;  that 
they  had  attacked  the  Spaniards  in  their  quarters,  and 
had  killed  several,  and  had  wounded  more;  that  they 
had  also  seized  the  two  brigantines,  destroyed  the 
magazine  of  provisions,  and  that  the  whole  garrison 
was  in  imminent  danger  of  destruction. 

Immediately  collecting  his  whole  force,  now  greatly 


THE  METROPOLIS  INVADED      169 

augmented  by  the  accession  of  the  vanquished  troops 
of  Narvaez,  with  their  cavalry  and  artillery,  Cortez 
hastened  back  from  Zempoalla  to  the  rescue  of  his 
beleaguered  camp.  His  army  now,  with  his  strangely 
acquired  reinforcement,  amounted  to  over  a  thousand 
infantry  and  a  hundred  cavalry,  besides  several  thou- 
sands of  the  natives,  whom  he  recruited  from  his  allies, 
the  Totonacs. 

The  danger  was  so  imminent  that  his  troops  were 
urged  to  the  utmost  possible  rapidity  of  march.  At 
Tlascala,  two  thousand  of  those  fierce  warriors  joined 
him;  but  as  he  advanced  into  the  territory  of  Monte- 
zuma, he  met  every  where  the  evidences  of  strong 
disaffection  to  his  cause.  The  nobles  avoided  his 
camp.  The  inhabitants  of  cities  and  villages  retired 
at  his  approach.  No  food  was  brought  to  him.  The 
natives  made  no  attempt  to  oppose  a  force  so  resist- 
less, but  they  left  before  him  a  path  of  silence  and 
solitude. 

When  the  Spaniards  arrived  at  the  causeway  which 
led  to  the  city,  they  found,  to  their  surprise,  that  the 
Mexicans  had  not  destroyed  the  bridges,  but  through- 
out the  whole  length  of  this  narrow  passage  no  per- 
son was  to  be  seen.  No  one  welcomed  or  opposed. 
Fiercely  those  stern  men  strode  on,  over  the  cause- 
way and  through  the  now  deserted  streets,  till  they 
entered  into  the  encampment  of  their  comrades. 

The  insurrection  had  been  suddenly  excited  by  an 


170  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

atrocious  massacre  on  the  part  of  Alvarado.  This 
leader,  a  brave  soldier,  but  destitute  either  of  tact  or 
judgment,  suspected,  or  pretended  to  suspect,  that  the 
Mexican  nobles  were  conspiring  to  attack  him.  One 
of  their  religious  festivals  was  at  hand,  when  all  the 
principal  nobles  of  the  empire  were  to  be  assembled 
in  the  performance  of  the  rites  of  their  religion,  in  the 
court-yard  of  the  great  temple.  Suddenly  Alvarado 
came  upon  them,  when  they  were  thus  unarmed  and 
unsuspicious,  and,  cutting  them  off  from  every  avenue 
of  escape,  with  musketry,  artillery,  and  the  keen 
sabers  of  his  horsemen,  mercilessly  hewed  them  down. 
Nearly  six  hundred  of  the  flower  of  the  Mexican 
nobility  were  massacred.  Though  Cortez  was  very 
indignant  with  his  lieutenant  when  he  heard  this  story 
from  his  lips,  and  exclaimed,  "Your  conduct  has  been 
that  of  a  madman,"  he  was  still  enraged  with  the 
Mexicans  for  venturing  to  attack  his  garrison,  and  de- 
clared that  they  should  feel  the  weight  of  Spanish 
vengeance. 

In  his  displeasure,  he  refused  to  call  upon  Monte- 
zuma. Elated  by  the  success  with  which  he  had  thus 
far  triumphed  over  all  obstacles,  and  deeming  the 
forces  he  now  had  under  his  command  sufficient  to 
sweep,  like  chaff  before  the  whirlwind,  any  armies 
which  the  natives  could  raise,  he  gave  free  utterance 
to  expressions  of  contempt  for  both  prince  and  people. 


THE  METROPOLIS  INVADED      171 

There  had  been  a  tacit  truce  between  the  two  parties 
for  a  few  days,  and  had  Cortez  disavowed  the  conduct 
of  his  subaltern,  and  pursued  conciliatory  measures,  it 
is  possible  that  the  natives  might  again  have  been  ap- 
peased. The  insolent  tone  he  assumed,  and  his  loud 
menace  of  vengeance,  aroused  the  natives  anew,  and 
they  grasped  their  arms  with  a  degree  of  determination 
and  ferocity  never  manifested  before. 

Bernal  Diaz  in  the  following  terms  records  this 
event:  "Cortez  asked  Alvarado  for  what  reason  he 
fell  upon  the  natives  while  they  were  dancing  and 
holding  a  festival  in  honor  of  their  gods.  To  this 
Alvarado  replied  that  it  was  in  order  to  be  beforehand 
with  them,  having  had  intelligence  of  their  hostile  in- 
tentions toward  him  from  two  of  their  own  nobility 
and  a  priest.  Cortez  then  asked  of  him  if  it  was  true 
that  they  had  requested  of  him  permission  to  hold  their 
festival.  The  other  replied  that  it  was  so,  and  that  it 
was  in  order  to  take  them  by  surprise,  and  to  punish 
and  terrify  them,  so  as  to  prevent  their  making  war 
upon  the  Spaniards,  that  he  had  determined  to  fall  on 
them  by  anticipation.  At  hearing  this  avowal,  Cortez 
was  highly  enraged.  He  censured  the  conduct  of 
Alvarado  in  the  strongest  terms,  and  in  this  temper 
left  him. 

"Some  say  that  it  was  avarice  which  tempted 
Alvarado  to  make   this   attack,  in  nrder  to  pillage  the 


172  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

Indians  of  the  golden  ornaments  which  they  wore  at 
their  festival.  I  never  heard  any  just  reason  for  the 
assertion;  nor  do  I  believe  any  such  thing,  although 
it  is  so  represented  by  Bartholome  de  las  Casas.  For 
my  part,  I  am  convinced  that  his  intention  in  falling 
on  them  at  that  time  was  in  order  to  strike  terror  into 
them,  and  prevent  their  insurrection,  according  to  the 
saying  that  the  first  attack  is  half  the  battle." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Battle  of  the  Dismal  Night. 

Augmented  forces  of  Cortez. —  The  reconnaissance. —  Success  of  the  Mexicans. 

—  The  conflict  continued. —  Troops  of  Narvaez  begin  to  murmur. —  The 
sally. —  Cortez  obliged  to  retreat. —  The  conflagration. —  The  desperate 
situation. —  The  appeal  to  Montezuma. —  He    is  induced  to  interpose. 

—  The  dawn  of  the  morning. —  Attention  of  the  natives. —  Address  of 
Montezuma. —  He  is  wounded. —  He  refuses  nourishment.— His  death. — 
Raging  of  the  battle. —  The  two  Mexican  nobles.—  Escape  of  Cortez. — 
Night  and  its  scenes. —  Endeavors  to  intimidate  the  natives. —  Their  her- 
oism.—  Defiance. —  Cortez  resolves  to  leave  the  city. —  The  moving 
towers. —  The  retreat. —  The  onset. —  Arrival  at  the  canal. —  Imminent 
peril. —  Filling  the  breach. —  Slow  advance. —  The  storm. —  The  cause- 
way.—  Multitude  of  the  enemy. —  Fury  of  the  attack. —  Noche  triste. — 
Separation  of  the  Spaniards. —  March  to  the  rescue. —  Destruction  of  a 
part  of  the  army. —  Sorrow  of  Cortez. —  They  flee  to  a  temple. —  Condi- 
tion of  the  party. —  March  over  the  mountains. —  Value  of  the  horses. — 
Courage  of  Cortez. —  Shouts  of  defiance. —  Appearance  of  the  enemy. — 
Apprehensions  of  Cortez.—  The  attack.—  Superstition  of  the  Mexicans. — 
The  capture  of  the  standard. —  The  natives  flee. —  Arrival  at  Tlascala. — 
Enmity  of  the  Tlascalans  against  the  Mexicans. —  New  disasters. —  New 
designs  of  Cortez.— Efforts  to  collect  recruits.— Preparations  for  build- 
ing ships.— Remonstrance  of  his  companions.— The  foray.— Plunder.— 
The  Governor  of  Cuba  sends  ships  to  Vera  Cruz.  —  Expedition  from  the 
Governor  of  Jamaica.— Collection  of  arms.— Equipping  the  fleet— The 
vessels  baptized. 

The  force  which  Cortez  now  had  under  his  com- 
mand, if  we  take  into  consideration  the  effi- 
ciency of  European  discipline  and  of  Euro- 
pean weapons  of  warfare,  was  truly  formidable.  In  the 
stone  buildings  which  protected  and  encircled  his  en- 
campment, he  could   marshal,    in   battle  array,  twelve 

(*73) 


174  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

hundred  Spaniards  and  eight  thousand  native  allies; 
but  they  were  nearly  destitute  of  provisions,  and  the 
natives  were  rapidly  assembling  from  all  quarters  into 
countless  numbers.  Cortez  sent  four  hundred  men  out 
in  the  streets  to  reconnoitre.  They  had  hardly  emerged 
from  the  walls  of  their  fortress  before  they  were 
assailed  with  shouts  of  vengeance,  and  a  storm  of  ar- 
rows and  javelins  fell  upon  them.  Frensied  multi- 
tudes thronged  the  streets  and  the  house-tops,  and 
from  the  roofs  and  the  summits  of  the  temples,  stones 
and  all  similar  missiles  were  poured  down  upon  the 
heads  of  the  Spaniards.  With  great  difficulty  this 
strong  detachment  fought  their  way  back  to  their 
fortified  quarters,  having  lost  twenty-three  in  killed, 
and  a  large  number  being  wounded. 

This  success  greatly  emboldened  the  Mexicans,  and 
in  locust  legions  they  pressed  upon  the  Spanish  quar- 
ters, rending  the  air  with  their  unearthly  shouts,  and 
darkening  the  sky  with  their  missiles.  The  artillery 
was  immediately  brought  to  bear  upon  them,  and 
every  volley  opened  immense  gaps  in  their  ranks;  but 
the  places  of  the  dead  were  instantly  occupied  by 
others,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  end  to  their  num- 
bers. Never  did  mortal  men  display  more  bravery 
than  these  exasperated  Mexicans  exhibited,  struggling 
for  their  homes  and  their  rights.  Twice  they  came 
very  near  forcing  an  entrance  over  the  walls  into  the 
Spanish  quarters.      Had  they  succeeded,  in  a  hand  to 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      175 

hand  fight;  numbers  must  have  triumphed,  and  the 
Spaniards  must  have  been  inevitably  destroyed;  but 
the  batteries  of  the  Spaniards  mowed  down  the  assail- 
ants like  grass  before  the  scythe,  and  the  Mexicans 
were  driven  from  the  walls.  All  the  day  long  the 
conflict  was  continued,  and  late  into  the  night.  The 
ground  was  covered  with  the  dead  when  darkness 
stopped  the  carnage. 

The  soldiers  of  Narvaez,  unaccustomed  to  such 
scenes,  and  appalled  by  the  fury  and  the  number  of 
their  enemies,  began  to  murmur  loudly.  They  had 
been  promised  the  spoils  of  an  empire  which  they 
were  assured  was  already  conquered;  instead  of  this, 
they  found  themselves  in  the  utmost  peril,  exposed 
to  a  conflict  with  a  vigorous  and  exasperated  enemy, 
surrounding  them  with  numbers  which  could  not  be 
counted.  Bitterly  they  execrated  their  own  folly  in 
allowing  themselves  to  be  thus  deluded;  but  their 
murmurs  could  now  be  of  no  avail.  The  only  hope 
for  the  Spaniards  was  in  united  and  indomitable 
courage. 

The  energies  of  Cortez  increased  with  the  difficulties 
which  surrounded  him.  During  the  night  he  selected 
a  strong  force  of  picked  men  to  make  a  vigorous 
sally  in  the  morning.  To  nerve  them  to  higher  dar- 
ing, he  resolved  to  head  the  perilous  enterprise  him- 
self. He  availed  himself  of  all  his  knowledge  of  Indian 
warfare,  and   of  all   the    advantages  which    European 


176  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

military  art  could  furnish.  In  the  early  dawn,  these 
troops,  in  solid  column,  rushed  from  the  gates  of  their 
fortress;  but  the  foe,  greatly  augmented  by  the  fresh 
troops  which  had  been  pouring  in  during  the  night, 
were  ready  to  receive  him.  Both  parties  fought  with 
ferocity  which  has  never  been  surpassed.  Cortez,  to 
his  inexpressible  chagrin,  found  himself  compelled  to 
retire  before  the  natives,  who,  in  numbers  perfectly 
amazing,  were  crowding  upon  him. 

Most  of  the  streets  were  traversed  by  canals.  The 
bridges  were  broken  down,  and  the  Spaniards,  thus 
arrested  in  their  progress  and  crowded  together,  were 
overwhelmed  with  stones  and  arrows  from  the  house- 
tops. Cortez  set  fire  to  the  houses  every  where  along 
his  line  of  march.  Though  the  walls  of  many  of 
these  buildings  were  of  stone,  the  flames  ran  eagerly 
through  the  dry  and  combustible  interior,  and  leaped 
from  roof  to  roof.  A  wide  and  wasting  conflagration 
soon  swept  horribly  through  the  doomed  city,  adding 
to  the  misery  of  the  bloody  strife.  All  the  day  long 
the  battle  raged.  The  streets  were  strewn  with  the 
bodies  of  the  dead,  and  crimsoned  with  gore.  The 
natives  cheerfully  sacrificed  a  hundred  of  their  own 
lives  to  take  the  life  of  one  of  their  foes.  The  Span- 
iards were,  however,  at  length  driven  back  behind 
their  walls,  leaving  twelve  of  their  number  dead  in 
the  streets,  and  having  sixty  severely  wounded. 

Another  night  darkened  over  the  blood-stained  and 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      177 

smouldering  city.  The  Spaniards,  exhausted  by  the 
interminable  conflict,  still  stood  fiercely  behind  their 
ramparts.  The  natives,  in  continually  increasing  num- 
bers, surrounded  them,  filling  the  night  air  with 
shrieks  of  defiance  and  rage.  Cortez  had  displayed 
personally  the  most  extraordinary  heroism  during  the 
protracted  strife.  His  situation  now  seemed  desperate. 
Though  many  thousands  of  the  Mexicans  had  been 
slaughtered  during  the  day,  recruits  flocked  in  so 
rapidly  that  their  numbers  remained  undiminished. 
Cortez  had  received  a  severe  wound  in  his  hand 
which  caused  him  intense  anguish.  His  soldiers  could 
hardly  stand  from  their  exhaustion.  Many  had  been 
slain,  and  nearly  all  were  wounded.  The  maddened 
roar  of  countless  thousands  of  the  fiercest  warriors 
surging  around  their  bulwarks  almost  deafened  the 
ear.  Every  moment  it  was  apprehended  that  the 
walls  would  be  scaled,  and  the  inundation  pour  in 
resistlessly  upon  them. 

In  this  extremity  Cortez  decided  to  appeal  to  his 
captive  Montezuma,  and  try  the  effect  of  his  inter- 
position to  soothe  or  overawe  his  subjects.  Assum- 
ing the  tone  of  humanity,  he  affected  to  deplore  the 
awful  carnage  which  had  taken  place.  He  affirmed 
that  the  city  must  inevitably  be  destroyed  entirely, 
and  the  inhabitants  generally  slaughtered,  unless  they 
could  be  induced  to  lay  down  their  arms.  Monte- 
zuma, from  one  of  the  towers  of  the  Spanish  fortress, 

M.  of  H.— XV— 12 


178  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

had  watched,  with  a  throbbing  heart  and  flooded 
eyes,  the  progress  of  the  fight  as  the  flames  swept 
through  the  streets,  and  destruction,  like  a  scythe, 
mowed  down  his  subjects.  The  amiable,  beloved, 
perplexed  sovereign  was  thus  induced,  though  with 
much  hesitation,  to  interpose.  He  was  adored  by 
his  people;  but  he  believed  that  the  Spaniards  were 
enthroned  by  the  voice  of  destiny,  and  that  resistance 
would  but  involve  the  nation  in  a  more  bloody  ruin. 

Another  morning  dawned  upon  the  combatants. 
In  its  earliest  light  the  battle  was  again  renewed 
with  increasing  fury.  No  pen  can  describe  the  tu- 
mult of  this  wild  war.  The  yell  of  countless  thousands 
of  assailants,  the  clang  of  their  trumpets,  gongs,  and 
drums,  the  clash  of  arms,  the  rattle  of  musketry,  and 
the  roar  of  artillery,  presented  a  scene  which  had 
never  before  found  a  parallel  in  the  New  World. 

Suddenly  all  the  tumult  was  hushed  as  the  vener- 
ated emperor,  dressed  in  his  imperial  robes,  appeared 
upon  the  walls,  and  waved  his  hand  to  command  the 
attention  of  his  subjects.  At  the  sight  of  their  be- 
loved sovereign  silence  almost  instantaneously  pre- 
vailed, all  bowed  their  heads  in  reverence,  and  many 
prostrated  themselves  upon  the  ground.  Montezuma 
earnestly  entreated  them  to  cease  from  the  conflict, 
assuring  them  that  the  Spaniards  would  retire  from 
the  city  if  the  Mexicans  would  lay  down  their  arms. 

"The  war  will  soon  be  over,"  a  Mexican  shouted 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      179 

from  the  crowd,  "for  we  have  all  sworn  that  not 
a  Spaniard  shall  leave  the  city  alive." 

As  Montezuma  continued  his  urgency,  pleading  for 
the  detested  Spaniards,  the  natives  for  a  few  moments 
longer  continued  to  listen  patiently.  But  gradually  a 
sullen  murmur,  like  a  rising  breeze,  began  to  spread 
through  the  ranks.  Reproaches  and  threats  succeeded. 
Indignation  now  overtopped  all  barriers,  and  a  shower 
of  stones  and  arrows  suddenly  fell  upon  the  unhappy 
monarch.  Cortez  had  taken  the  precaution  to  send  a 
body-guard  upon  the  wall  with  Montezuma,  with 
bucklers  for  his  protection;  but  so  sudden  and  unex- 
pected was  the  assault,  that  two  arrows  pierced  his 
body,  and  a  stone,  striking  him  on  the  temple,  felled 
him  senseless  to  the  ground  before  they  could  raise 
their  shields.  This  was  the  last  drop  in  the  cup  of 
bitterness  which  Montezuma  was  doomed  to  drain. 
The  wounded  monarch  was  conveyed  to  his  apartment, 
crushed  in  spirit,  and  utterly  broken-hearted.  Finally, 
resolved  no  longer  to  live,  he  tore  the  bandages  from 
his  wounds,  and  refused  all  nourishment.  Silent,  and 
brooding  over  his  terrible  calamities,  he  lingered,  the 
picture  of  dejection  and  woe,  for  a  few  days,  until  he 
died. 

In  the  mean  time  the  battle  was  resumed  with  all 
its  fury.  Throughout  the  day  it  raged  with  the  most 
intense  ferocity.  The  Mexicans  took  possession  of  a 
high  tower  which   commanded  the  Spanish   quarters. 


180  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

It  was  necessary  to  dislodge  them  at  any  sacrifice. 
A  detachment  of  chosen  men  was  three  times  re- 
pulsed in  its  desperate  assault.  Cortez,  aware  that 
the  safety  of  the  army  depended  upon  the  result,  or- 
dered a  buckler  to  be  bound  to  his  arm,  as  he  could 
not  grasp  it  with  his  wounded  hand,  and  placed  him- 
self at  the  head  of  the  attacking  column.  Animated 
by  his  voice  and  example,  the  Spaniards  forced  their 
way  up  the  steps  of  the  temple,  driving  the  Mexicans 
before  them.  Having  reached  the  spacious  platform 
on  the  summit,  a  terrible  strife  ensued.  Two  young 
Mexican  nobles  resolved  to  effect  the  destruction  of 
Cortez  by  the  sacrifice  of  their  own  lives.  They 
seized  him,  dragged  him  to  the  battlements,  and 
threw  themselves  over  while  clinging  to  his  person, 
that  they  might  thus  dash  him  also  upon  the  pave- 
ment beneath.  But  Cortez,  by  his  wonderful  strength 
and  agility,  shook  them  off,  and  thus  broke  from  their 
grasp,  while  they  both  perished.  The  victorious 
Spaniards  then  set  fire  to  the  tower.  Other  sorties 
were  made  during  the  day,  and  the  wretched  city 
was  as  the  crater  of  a  volcano  of  flame  and  blood. 
The  energies  of  both  parties  seemed  to  redouble  with 
despair. 

At  last  another  night  spread  its  veil  over  the  in- 
furiated combatants.  In  its  darkest  watches,  the  in- 
domitable Cortez  made  a  sortie  at  the  head  of  a  strong 
band,  and  set  three  hundred  buildings  in  flames.     The 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      181 

/urid  fire,  crackling  to  the  skies,  illumined  the  tran- 
quil lake,  and  gleamed  portentously  upon  the  most 
distant  villages  in  the  vast  mountain-girdled  valley. 
The  tumult  of  the  midnight  assault,  the  shrieks  of  the 
women  and  children,  and  the  groans  of  the  wounded 
and  the  dying,  blended  dismally  with  the  roar  of  the 
conflagration. 

Cortez  now  summoned  the  Mexican  chiefs  to  a 
parley.  He  stood  upon  the  wall.  The  beautiful  Ma- 
rina, as  interpreter,  stood  at  his  side.  The  native 
chiefs  were  upon  the  ground  before  him.  The  inflex- 
ible Spanish  commander  endeavored  to  intimidate  his 
determined  foes  by  threats. 

"If  you  do  not  immediately  submit,"  said  he,  "I 
will  lay  the  whole  city  in  ashes,  and  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  shall  be  put  to  the  sword." 

They  answered  defiantly, 

"The  bridges  are  broken  down,  and  you  can  not 
escape.  You  have  better  weapons  of  war  than  we, 
but  we  have  greater  numbers.  If  we  offer  a  thousand 
lives  for  one,  we  will  continue  the  battle  till  you  are 
all  destroyed." 

Saying  this,  they  gave  a  signal,  and  a  storm  of 
arrows  and  javelins  pierced  the  air,  and  fell  into  the 
beleaguered  fortress.  Notwithstanding  the  bold  tone 
assumed  by  Cortez,  the  Spaniards  were  in  great  dis- 
may. It  was  manifest  to  all  that  their  destruction 
was  certain  unless  they  could  cut  their  way  through 


182  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

the  enemy,  and  escape  from  the  city.  The  extraor- 
dinary energies  of  this  iron  fanatic  still  remained  un- 
shaken. Calmly  he  reflected  upon  his  position,  ex- 
amined his  resources,  and  formed  his  plans.  The 
Mexicans  had  barricaded  the  streets,  and  had  broken 
down  the  causeways,  to  prevent,  if  possible,  the  es- 
cape of  their  foes.  But  there  was  no  longer  any  al- 
ternative for  Cortez.  Destruction  was  certain  unless  he 
could  effect  his  escape.  He  decided  to  make  the  desper- 
ate attempt  at  midnight.  He  immediately  constructed 
moving  towers,  to  be  pushed  through  the  streets  on 
wheels,  at  the  head  of  his  columns,  under  the  pro- 
tection of  which  his  soldiers  could  force  their  way, 
and  make  every  bullet  accomplish  its  mission.  A 
platform  on  the  top  could  be  let  down,  affording  a 
bridge  to  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  thus  placing  the 
Spaniards  on  a  level  with  their  assailants.  The  sides 
of  the  towers  were  amply  strong  to  repel  darts  and 
arrows.  Thus  protected  from  all  harm,  the  sharp- 
shooters could  sweep  the  streets  and  the  house- 
tops. 

At  midnight  the  retreat  was  commenced  in  three 
divisions.  Sandoval  led  the  van,  Alvarado  the  rear. 
Cortez  took  command  of  the  center,  where  he  placed 
the  distinguished  prisoners,  among  whom  were  a  son 
and  daughter  of  Montezuma,  and  several  of  the  high 
nobles.  He  also  carried  with  his  division  the  artillery, 
the  baggage,  and  a  portable   bridge,  ingeniously  con- 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      183 

structed  of  timber,  to  be  laid  over  the  breaches  in 
the  causeway.  In  profound  silence  the  army  issued 
from  their  quarters,  and  marched  firmly  along  through 
the  smouldering  and  gory  streets. 

For  a  little  time  they  advanced  unmolested;  but 
the  Mexicans  were  watching  their  movements,  and 
were  silently  making  dispositions  for  a  tremendous 
onset.  Suddenly  the  shout  of  an  innumerable  multi- 
tude and  the  clash  of  arms  rose  fearfully  in  the  dark 
night  air,  and  from  every  quarter  the  natives  came 
rushing  on,  and  stones,  javelins,  darts,  and  arrows 
rattled  like  hail-stones  upon  helmet  and  buckler. 
Every  inch  of  the  way  was  now  contested.  The 
progress  of  the  Spaniards,  though  slow,  was  resist- 
less, the  cannon  and  the  musketry  sweeping  down 
all  obstacles. 

At  last  they  arrived  at  one  of  the  numerous  canals 
which  every  where  intersected  the  city.  The  bridge 
was  destroyed,  and  the  deep  waters  flowing  from  the 
lake  cut  off  all  retreat.  The  wooden  bridge,  prepared 
for  such  an  emergency,  was  thrown  across  the  chasm. 
The  head  of  the  Spanish  column  fought  its  way  over 
successfully;  but,  unfortunately,  the  weight  of  the 
artillery  and  of  the  dense  throng  wedged  the  timbers 
so  fast  into  the  stones  that  all  their  efforts  could  not 
again  remove  them.  Their  peril  was  growing  every 
moment  more  imminent,  as  the  roused  natives  were 
thronging  to  every  point  where  the  retiring  foe  could 


1 84  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

be  assailed.  They  were  thus  compelled  to  leave  the 
bridge  behind  them. 

Advancing  precipitately,  the  Spaniards  soon  ar- 
rived at  a  second  breach.  Here  they  found  them- 
selves hemmed  in  on  all  sides,  and  they  had  no 
means  of  bridging  the  gap;  but,  planting  their  cannon 
so  as  to  hold  the  natives  at  bay,  every  available  hand 
was  employed  in  filling  the  chasm  with  stones  and 
timbers  torn  from  the  demolished  and  smouldering 
dwellings.  The  labor  was  difficult  and  perilous,  for 
they  were  incessantly  assailed  by  the  most  pelting 
storm  of  the  missiles  of  destruction. 

For  two  days  this  terrific  conflict  raged.  Seven 
breaches  in  the  canals  they  were  compelled  thus  to 
bridge  with  stones  and  timbers  torn  from  the  adjacent 
streets;  but  the  Spaniards  still  slowly  advanced,  tri- 
umphing with  difficulty  over  every  obstacle  which  the 
natives  could  interpose.  Though  they  thus  sternly 
fought  their  way  along,  trampling  beneath  them  the 
mutilated  bodies  of  the  dying  and  of  the  dead,  at  the 
close  of  the  second  day  they  found  their  foes  more 
numerous  and  their  situation  more  -desperate  than 
ever. 

As  the  gloom  of  night  again  descended,  a  deeper, 
heavier  gloom  rested  upon  all  in  the  heart  of  the 
Spanish  camp.  A  wailing  storm  arose  of  wind  and 
rain,  and  nature  mourned  and  wept  as  if  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  woes  of  man.     Availing  themselves  of 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      185 

the  darkness  and  of  the  uproar  of  the  midnight  tem- 
pest, though  weary,  faint,  and  bleeding,  they  urged 
their  steps  along  the  war-scathed  streets,  for  a  time 
strangely  encountering  no  opposition.  But  when  they 
reached  the  long  causeway,  nearly  two  miles  in  length 
and  but  thirty  feet  wide,  by  which  alone  they  could 
reach  the  land,  a  yell  of  exultation  suddenly  rose 
from  the  black  and  storm-lashed  waters  of  the  lake, 
loud  as  the  heaviest  thunders.  The  whole  lake,  on 
both  sides  of  the  causeway,  seemed  alive  with  the 
boats  of  the  natives,  and  the  Spaniards  were  imme- 
diately assailed  by  the  swarming  multitudes,  who,  in 
the  fierce  and  maddened  strife,  set  all  danger  at  defi- 
ance. 

War  never  exhibited  a  more  demoniac  aspect. 
The  natives  opposed  their  advance,  crowded  their 
rear,  and  clambered  up  the  sides  of  the  causeway, 
attacking  the.  foe  on  each  flank  with  indescribable 
fury.  Fresh  warriors  instantly  rushed  into  the  place 
where  their  comrades  had  fallen,  and  those  in  the 
rear  of  the  tumultuous  mass  crowded  their  com- 
panions in  the  front  ranks  resistlessly  upon  the  com- 
pact enemy. 

There  were  three  chasms  in  the  causeway  broken 
by  the  Mexicans  which  the  Spaniards  were  compelled 
to  bridge  in  the  darkness  and  the  storm,  and  while 
assailed  by  an  innumerable  and  almost  an  invisible 
foe.     Imagination  can  not  compass  the  horrors  of  that 


1 86  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

night.  Noche  triste,  dismal  night,  is  the  name  by 
which  it  has  ever  since  been  distinguished.  In  the 
awful  confusion,  military  skill  and  discipline  were  of 
but  little  avail.  The  Spaniards  could  with  difficulty 
distinguish  friend  from  foe,  and  ere  long  they  were 
nearly  all  quite  swept  away  by  the  torrent  rushing 
so  resistlessly  upon  them. 

Cortez  succeeded  in  keeping  about  a  hundred  men 
around  him,  and,  using  the  bodies  of  the  dead  to  aid 
him  in  bridging  two  chasms,  he  at  length  reached 
the  main  land.  The  horrid  clamor  still  rose  from  the 
darkness  of  the  causeway  as  his  companions,  left  be- 
hind, were  struggling  in  desperation  with  the  multi- 
tudes who  inclosed  them.  Cortez  heroically,  with 
every  man  in  his  little  band  still  able  to  fight,  marched 
back  to  their  rescue.  A  few  succeeded  in  breaking 
through  the  enemy,  and  joined  him.  Multitudes  were 
struck  down  or  hurled  into  the  lake;  but  dreadful  was 
the  anguish  of  Cortez  as  he  heard,  piercing  through 
the  clamor,  the  cries  for  help  of  his  companions  who 
were  seized  by  the  natives  as  captives,  and  who  were 
being  borne  away  to  be  offered  in  sacrifice  to  their 
gods.  The  few  who  escaped,  exhausted  and  bleed- 
ing, clung  together  for  the  remainder  of  the  night 
near  the  village  of  Tacuba,  where  the  causeway 
reached  the  main  land. 

When  the  first  gray  of  the  lurid  morning  dawned, 
the  whole   length  of  the  causeway  was  seen  covered 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      187 

with  the  bodies  of  the  slain.  The  chasms  were 
clogged  up  with  fragments  of  artillery,  baggage-wag- 
ons, dead  horses,  and  the  corpses  of  Spaniards  and 
natives.  The  features  of  the  dead  were  distorted  by 
all  the  hateful  passions  of  the  strife.  A  few  only  had 
escaped.  Nearly  all  the  horses,  all  the  cannon,  all  the 
plundered  treasure,  and  all  the  baggage-wagons,  were 
either  sunk  in  the  lake,  or  were  floating  in  fragments 
upon  its  surface.  The  storm  had  passed  away,  and 
the  piacid  waters  were  blackened  with  the  war-canoes 
of  the  natives.  Not  even  a  musket  remained  to  the 
Spaniards.  Bernal  Diaz  records  that  in  this  bloody 
night  eight  hundred  and  seventy  of  the  Spaniards  per- 
ished. More  than  four  thousand  of  their  allies  were 
also  slain. 

As  Cortez  gazed  upon  the  feeble  band  of  mangled 
and  bleeding  soldiers  which  now  alone  remained  to 
him,  even  his  stern  heart  was  moved,  and  he  bowed 
his  head  and  wept  bitterly.  We  can  not  regret  that 
some  drops  of  retributive  woe  were  wrung  from  the 
heart  of  that  guilty  conqueror.  He  had  overwhelmed 
a  benighted  nation  with  misery.  Under  the  divine 
government,  such  a  crime  can  not  go  unpunished, 
and  the  penalty  must  descend  either  it  this  life  or  in 
that  which  is  to  come. 

But  this  was  no  time  to  indulge  in  grief.  It  was 
necessary  immediately  to  find  some  shelter  for  the 
wearied  troops.     The  Mexicans  were  preparing  to  re- 


188  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

new  the  attack,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Tacuba  were 
assembling  in  arms.  At  a  little  distance,  on  a  rising 
ground,  Cortez  discovered  a  large  stone  temple.  He 
immediately  took  possession  of  it,  and  here  found  not 
only  temporary  shelter,  but,  fortunately,  provisions 
for  his  almost  famished  troops.  Here,  for  a  day,  the 
Spaniards  beat  off  the  foe  who  incessantly  assailed 
them. 

"And  God  only  knows,"  says  Cortez,  "the  toil 
and  fatigue  with  which  it  was  accomplished;  for  of 
twenty-four  horses  that  remained  to  us,  there  was 
not  one  that  could  move  briskly,  nor  a  horseman  able 
to  raise  his  arm,  nor  a  foot-soldier  unhurt  who  could 
make  any  effort." 

They  were  now  on  the  western  side  of  the  lake. 
It  was  necessary  to  pass  around  the  northern  shore 
of  this  vast  expanse  of  water,  as  the  country  was 
there  thinly  populated,  and  they  would  be  conse- 
quently less  liable  to  attack.  The  road  led  a  distance 
of  nearly  a  hundred  miles  over  mountains  and  through 
marshes  to  the  eastern  shore.  From  there,  a  march 
of  more  than  sixty-four  miles  was  necessary  before 
they  could  reach  the  territory  of  Tlascala,  which  was 
the  first  point  where  they  could  hope  for  any  relief. 

Under  the  guidance  of  a  Tlascalan  soldier,  the  de- 
spairing band  commenced  its  march.  They  advanced 
the  first  day  and  night  but  nine  miles,  fighting  inces- 
santly all  the  way.     For  six   days,  with   hardly   any 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      189 

respite,  they  continued  their  retreat.  Their  only  food 
they  gathered  as  they  hurried  along,  of  berries,  roots, 
and  green  corn.  They  were  continually  assailed  by 
the  indefatigable  foe;  but  with  their  few  remaining 
horses,  their  steel  swords,  and  the  energies  which 
European  civilization  confers,  they  beat  off  their  as- 
sailants and  continued  their  flight.  As  the  horses 
were  needed  to  beat  off  the  swarming  foe,  the  sick 
and  wounded  were  compelled  to  hobble  along,  as  they 
could,  on  crutches.  "Next  to  God,"  says  Cortez, 
"  our  greatest  security  was  in  our  horses."  One  horse 
was  killed.  The  Spaniards  eagerly  devoured  his  flesh, 
"not  leaving,"  says  Cortez,  "even  his  skin,  or  any 
other  part  of  him,  so  great  were  our  necessities." 

Cortez,  who  promptly  recovered  from  his  momen- 
tary weakness,  manifested  the  utmost  sereneness  and 
imperturbability  of  spirit,  shared  every  hardship  of 
the  soldiers,  and  maintained  their  confidence  in  him 
by  surpassing  all  in  the  gallantry  and  the  magnanim- 
ity of  his  courage. 

Exhausted  and  wounded  as  they  were,  it  required 
the  toilsome  journey  of  a  week  to  reach  the  moun- 
tain summits  which  encircle  the  great  valley  of  Mex- 
ico. As  they  approached  the  defiles  of  these  moun- 
tains, parties  of  the  enemy  were  seen  here  and  there 
in  increasing  numbers.  The  natives  shouted  to  them 
from  a  distance  insults,  defiance,  and  threats.  Marina, 
who  fortunately   escaped  the  massacre  of  the  dismal 


i?o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

night,  remarked  that  they  often,  in  exultant  tones, 
exclaimed, 

"Hurry  along,  robbers,  hurry  along;  you  will  soon 
meet  with  the  vengeance  due  to  your  crimes." 

The  significance  of  this  threat  was  soon  made 
manifest.  As  the  Spaniards  were  emerging  from  a 
narrow  pass  among  the  cliffs  of  the  mountains,  they 
came  suddenly  upon  an  extended  plain.  Here,  to  their 
amazement,  they  found  an  enormous  army  of  the 
natives  filling  the  whole  expanse,  and  apparently  cut- 
ting off  all  possibility  of  farther  retreat.  The  sight 
was  sufficient  to  appal  the  most  dauntless  heart.  The 
whole  plain,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  extend,  seemed  as 
a  living  ocean  of  armed  men,  with  its  crested  billows 
of  banners,  and  gleaming  spears,  and  helmets,  and 
plumes.  Even  the  heart  of  Cortez  for  a  moment  sank 
within  him  as  his  practiced  eye  told  him  that  there 
were  two  hundred  thousand  warriors  there  in  battle 
array,  through  whose  serried  ranks  he  must  cut  his 
bloody  path  or  perish.  To  all  the  Spaniards  it  seemed 
certain  that  their  last  hour  had  now  tolled;  but  each 
man  resolved  to  sell  his  life  as  dearly  as  possible. 

Cortez  immediately  assembled  his  band  around 
him,  and  invigorated  them  with  a  forcible  harangue. 
He  assured  them  that  there  was  no  possible  hope  but 
in  the  energies  of  despair;  but  that,  with  those  ener- 
gies, they  might  confidently  expect  God's  blessing,  for 
they  were  his  servants,  his   missionaries,  endeavoring 


BATTLE     OF    OTUMBA. 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      191 

to  overthrow  the  idols  of  the  heathen,  and  to  intro- 
duce the  religion  of  the  cross.  In  solid  column,  with 
their  long  spears  bristling  in  all  directions,  and  clad 
in  coats  of  mail  which  protected  a  great  part  of  their 
bodies  from  both  arrow  and  spear,  they  plunged  des- 
perately into  the  dense  masses  of  the  enemy.  Wher- 
ever this  solid  body  of  iron  men  directed  its  course, 
the  tumultuous  throng  of  the  foe  was  pierced  and 
dashed  aside,  as  the  stormy  billows  of  the  ocean  yield 
to  the  careering  steamer.  The  marvelous  incidents  of 
this  fight  would  occupy  pages.  The  onset  of  the 
Spaniards  was  so  fierce  that  the  natives  could  present 
no  effectual  resistance;  but  as  the  Indians  were  com- 
pelled to  retire  from  the  front  of  the  assailing  column, 
they  closed  up  with  shouts  of  vengeance  and  with  re- 
doubled fury  upon  the  flanks  and  the  rear.  Cortez 
had  heard  that  the  superstition  of  the  Mexicans  was 
such  that  the  fate  of  a  battle  depended  upon  the  im- 
perial banner,  which  was  most  carefully  guarded  in 
the  center  of  the  army.  If  that  were  taken,  the  natives 
deemed  themselves  forsaken  by  their  gods,  and  in 
dismay  would  break  and  fly.  In  the  distance,  for 
there  was  no  smoke  of  artillery  to  darken  this  field 
of  battle,  he  saw  this  standard  proudly  waving  in  the 
breeze.  With  impetuosity  which  crushed  down  all  op- 
position, he  pushed  toward  it.  The  standard-bearers 
were  stricken  down  and  pinned  to  the  earth  with 
lances.     Cortez,  with  his  own  hand,  seized  the  sacred 


i92  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

banner,  and  as  he  waved  it  aloft  his  soldiers  raised   a 
simultaneous  shout  of  triumph. 

The  natives,  with  cries  of  rage,  grief,  and  despair, 
in  the  wildest  tumult,  broke  and  fled  to  the  moun- 
tains. Their  gods  had  abandoned  them.  The  victory 
of  the  Spaniards  was  complete.  They  record,  though 
doubtless  with  exaggeration,  for  they  had  no  leisure 
to  stop  and  count  the  slain,  that  twenty  thousand  of 
their  enemies  were  left  dead  upon  that  bloody  field. 
With  new  alacrity  the  victors  now  pressed  on,  and 
the  next  day  entered  the  territory  of  the  Tlascalans. 

Here  they  were  received  with  the  greatest  kind- 
ness. The  enmity  of  the  Tlascalans  against  the  Mex- 
icans was  so  inveterate,  and  their  desire  to  avenge 
the  death  of  their  countrymen  so  intense,  that  they 
still  clung  tenaciously  to  the  Spanish  alliance,  with 
the  hope  that  new  resources  might  arrive  which 
would  enable  the  Spaniards  to  retrieve  their  fallen 
fortunes. 

In  the  hospitable  city  of  Tlascala  Cortez  allowed 
his  shattered  battalions  that  repose  which  was  now 
so  indispensable.  Nearly  all  his  men  were  suffering 
severely  from  sickness,  fatigue,  and  wounds.  But  here 
the  Spanish  chieftain  learned  of  new  disasters  which 
had  befallen  him.  A  detachment  of  Spanish  soldiers, 
who  were  marching  from  Zempoalla  to  the  capital  as 
a  re-enforcement,  had  been  cut  off  by  the  natives  and 
entirely   destroyed.      A   small   party,    who    had   been 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      193 

sent  to  convey  some  treasures  from  TIascala  to  Vera 
Cruz,  had  also  been  surprised  and  destroyed  among 
the  mountains.  When  the  life  of  every  Spaniard  was 
of  so  much  importance,  these  were,  indeed,  terrible 
additional  calamities. 

The  companions  of  Cortez  were  now  thoroughly 
disheartened,  and  were  anxious  to  return  to  Vera 
Cruz,  send  a  vessel  to  Cuba  for  some  transports,  and 
abandon  the  enterprise;  but  the  indomitable  warrior, 
though  lying  upon  the  bed  in  a  raging  fever,  and 
while  a  surgeon  was  cutting  off  two  of  his  mutilated 
and  inflamed  fingers,  and  raising  a  portion  of  the  bone 
of  his  skull,  which  had  been  splintered  by  the  club 
of  a  native,  was  forming  his  plans  to  return  to  Mex- 
ico and  reconquer  what  he  had  lost.  The  resources 
at  his  command  still  appeared  to  him  sufficient  to 
form  a  nucleus  around  which  to  assemble  a  new 
army.  The  garrison  at  Vera  Cruz,  with  its  artillery 
and  military  stores,  still  remained  unimpaired;  the 
Tlascalans  and  Zempoallans  continued  firm  in  their 
alliance;  and  he  still  could  assemble,  notwithstanding 
his  losses,  as  large  a  force  as  accompanied  him  in  his 
first  march  into  Mexico.  He  therefore  resolved  to 
make  vigorous  and  prompt  preparations  to  prosecute 
his  enterprise  anew.  He  wrote  to  his  sovereign  an 
account  of  the  disasters  he  had  encountered,  saying, 
"I  can  not  believe  that  the  good  and  merciful  God 
will  thus  suffer  his  cause  to  perish  among  the  heathen." 

M.  ofH— XV— 13 


i94  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

With  great  energy  and  sagacity  he  aroused  him- 
self for  this  new  effort.  He  made  special  exertions  to 
secure  the  cordial  co-operation  of  the  Tlascalan  chiefs, 
by  distributing  among  them  the  rich  spoil  taken  in 
his  last  battle.  He  dispatched  four  ships,  selected 
from  the  fleet  captured  from  Narvaez,  to  Hispaniola 
and  Jamaica,  to  collect  recruits  and  supplies.  That 
he  might  secure  the  command  of  the  lake,  he  pre- 
pared, with  the  ready  aid  of  the  Tlascalans,  materials 
for  building  twelve  vessels,  to  be  conveyed  in  pieces 
by  the  men  of  burden  to  the  lake,  there  to  be  put 
together  and  launched  upon  the  waters. 

The  companions  of  Cortez  had,  however,  by  far 
too  vivid  a  recollection  of  the  horrors  of  the  dismal 
night  to  participate  in  the  zeal  of  their  commander. 
Murmurs  against  the  enterprise  grew  louder  and 
louder,  until  the  camp  was  almost  in  a  state  of  mu- 
tiny. They  assembled,  and  appointed  a  delegation  to 
wait  upon  their  commander,  and  remonstrate  against 
another  attempt,  with  his  broken  battalions,  to  sub- 
jugate so  powerful  an  empire.  Respectfully,  but  firmly, 
they  demanded  to  be  taken  back  to  Cuba.  All  the 
arguments  and  entreaties  of  Cortez  were  of  no  avail 
to  change  their  minds  or  to  allay  their  anxieties. 

We  have  before  mentioned  that  a  detachment  of 
soldiers  from  Vera  Cruz  had  been  cut  off  by  the  na- 
tives. The  assailing  force  was  from  one  of  the  Mex- 
ican   provinces    in    the    vicinity    of    Tlascala,    called 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      195 

Tepeaca.  The  soldiers,  without  much  unwillingness, 
consented  to  march  to  their  region,  and  chastise  them 
for  the  deed.  The  enterprise  would  be  attended  with 
but  little  danger,  and  promised  a  large  amount  of 
booty.  It  was  now  the  month  of  August.  Cortez 
headed  the  expedition,  and  in  the  foray  of  a  few 
weeks,  after  an  enormous  slaughter  of  the  Tepeacans, 
reduced  the  province  to  subjection,  and  returned  to 
Tlascala  laden  with  plunder.  Another  foray  was  soon 
undertaken,  and  then  another.  Thus,  for  five  months, 
while  he  was  collecting  recruits  and  accumulating  sup- 
plies, he  adroitly  kept  his  men  employed  in  various  mil- 
itary expeditions  till  they  again  became  accustomed  to 
victory,  and  were  ready  to  enter  upon  a  wider  field  of 
glory,  which  should  open  before  them  more  brilliant 
prospects  for  wealth.  Fortune,  it  is  said,  helps  those 
who  help  themselves.  This  inflexibility  of  purpose 
and  untiring  energy  on  the  part  of  Cortez,  was  ac- 
companied by  what  is  usually  termed  the  gifts  of 
peculiarly  good  fortune. 

The  Governor  of  Cuba,  unaware  of  the  disaster 
which  had  befallen  Narvaez,  sent  two  ships  after  him 
with  a  supply  of  men  and  military  stores.  These 
vessels  were  decoyed  into  the  harbor  of  Vera  Cruz, 
the  stores  seized,  and  the  men  were  easily  induced 
to  enter  into  the  service  of  Cortez. 

The  Governor  of  Jamaica  fitted  out  an  expedition 
of  three  ships  to  prosecute  an  expedition  of  discovery 


196  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

and  conquest.  They  were  very  unfortunate,  and, 
after  many  disasters,  these,  ships,  their  crews  being 
almost  in  a  famishing  state,  cast  anchor  at  Vera  Cruz. 
They  listened  eagerly  to  the  brilliant  prospects  which 
Cortez  held  out  to  them,  and  enlisted  under  his  banner. 
At  the  same  time,  it  also  happened  that  a  ship  arrived 
from  Spain,  fitted  out  by  some  private  merchants 
with  military  stores,  and  other  articles  for  traffic 
among  the  natives.  Cortez  immediately  purchased 
the  cargo,  and  induced  the  crew  to  follow  the  exam- 
ple of  the  others,  and  join  his  army.  At  last,  the 
agents  he  sent  to  Hispaniola  and  Jamaica  returned, 
with  two  hundred  soldiers,  eighty  horses,  two  bat- 
tering-cannon, and  a  considerable  supply  of  ammuni- 
tion and  muskets.  Cortez  had  in  these  various  ways 
now  collected  about  eight  hundred  and  eighteen  foot- 
soldiers,  eighty-six  horsemen,  three  battering-cannon, 
and  fifteen  field-pieces. 

He  established  his  head-quarters  at  Tepeaca,  on  a 
small  river  which  ran  into  the  lake.  The  iron,  the 
planks,  the  timber,  the  masts,  the  cordage,  and  the 
materials  necessary  to  construct  and  equip  a  fleet  of 
thirteen  brigantines,  were  to  be  carried  a  distance  of 
sixty  miles,  over  rough  roads,  on  the  shoulders  of 
men.  Eight  thousand  men  of  burden  were  furnished 
by  the  Tlascalans  for  this  work.  Tepeaca  was  two 
miles  from  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and  the  rivulet  upon 
which   it  was  situated  was  shallow.     A  large  number 


BATTLE  OF  DISMAL  NIGHT      197 

of  natives  were  employed  for  two  months  in  deepen- 
ing the  channel,  that  the  vessels  might  be  floated 
down.  Though  the  Mexicans  made  many  attacks 
while  the  brigantines  were  being  built,  they  were  in- 
variably repulsed.  At  length  the  fleet  was  finished, 
and  the  whole  army  was  drawn  up  to  witness,  with 
all  the  accompaniments  of  religious  and  military 
pomp,  the  launching  of  the  ships.  Each  vessel  re- 
ceived a  baptismal  name  and  a  blessing  from  Father 
Olmedo.  They  glided  smoothly  down  the  river,  and 
were  wafted  out  upon  the  lake,  a  fleet  amply  strong 
to  set  all  the  power  of  the  Mexicans  at  defiance.  A 
general  shout  of  joy  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  Span- 
iards and  Tlascalans  as  they  observed  the  triumphant 
success  of  this  measure.  All  despondency  now  dis- 
appeared, and,  sanguine  of  success,  the  whole  army 
was  eager  again  to  march  to  the  assault  of  the  capital. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

The  Capital  Besieged  and  Captured. 

Preparations  for  defense. —  Cuitlahua. —  Pestilence. —  Guatemozin. —  The  brig- 
antines. —  The  fleet  is  attacked. —  The  Spanish  victorious. —  Dismay  of 
the  Mexicans. —  Cortez's  skill. —  The  siege  continued. —  Obstinate  resist- 
ance.—  Sortie  by  the  Mexicans. —  Preparations  for  sacrifice. —  Torturing 
the  captives. —  The  sacrifice. —  The  Mexicans  are  elated  by  their  victory. 

—  Shrewdness  of  Cortez. —  His  allies. —  Progress  of  the  siege. —  The  allies 
in  the  city. —  Sufferings  of  the  Mexicans. —  The  public  square. —  Affairs  in 
the  Mexican  camp. —  A  desperate  resolve. —  Pursuit. —  The  monarch  cap- 
tured.—  His  dignity. —  Guatemozin's  fortitude. —  Pretended  magnanimity 
of  Cortez. —  The  Mexicans  surrender. — l,oss  of  the  Spanish. —  Appear- 
ance of  the  captured  city. —  Piety  of  Cortez. —  Searching  for  the  treasures. 

—  The  native  allies. —  Their  carousals. —  Spanish  revelries  and  religious 
celebrations. —  An  entertainment.— The  plant  of  Noah. —  Father  Olmedo. 

—  Religious  ceremonies. —  Discontent. —  Clamors  of  the  army. —  Cortez 
yields. —  Guatemozin's  tortures. —  Cortez  rescues  him. —  The  divers. —  Na- 
ture of  the  Mexican  empire. —  The  various  Mexican  governments  yield  to 
Cortez.— Perplexity  of  Cortez. —  His  treason. —  Velasquez. —  Cortez's  la- 
bors.—  His  dispatches. —  An  extract. —  Cortez's  address  to  the  nobles. — 
Ciquacoacin's  reply. —  He  departs. —  I,oss  of  the  Mexicans. —  Fifty  thou- 
sand killed.— Cannonading  the  city.— The  musketry. —  Capture  of  Gua- 
temozin.—  His  behavior. —  Anniversary  of  the  capture  of  Mexico. 

While  Cortez  was  thus  vigorously  preparing 
to  renew  the  assault  upon  the  city  of 
Mexico,  the  Mexicans  were  no  less  busy 
in  their  preparations  for  defense.  Upon  the  death  of 
Montezuma,  the  crown  passed  to  his  more  warlike 
brother  Cuitlahua.  By  his  energies  the  Spaniards  had 
been  driven  from  the  metropolis,,  and  he  immediately, 

with  great  vigor,  fortified  the  city  anew,  and  recruited 
(198) 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  199 

and  drilled  his  armies,  now  familiar  with  the  weapons 
of  European  warfare.  He  sent  an  embassy  to  the 
Tlascalans,  urging  alliance  against  a  common  foe,  and 
endeavoring  to  incite  them  to  rise  and  crush  the 
Spaniards,  who,  without  their  alliance,  would  have 
been  entirely  helpless.  The  sagacity  of  Cortez,  how- 
ever, baffled  these  efforts,  and  he  succeeded  in  bind- 
ing the  Tlascalans  to  him  by  still  stronger  ties. 

Among  other  woes,  the  Spaniards  had  introduced 
the  small-pox  into  Mexico.  The  terrible  curse  now 
swept  like  a  blast  of  destruction  through  the  land. 
The  natives  perished  by  thousands.  Many  cities  and 
villages  were  almost  depopulated.  The  fearful  pesti- 
lence reached  the  Mexican  capital,  and  the  emperor, 
Cuitlahua,  soon  fell  a  victim  to  its  ravages. 

Guatemozin,  the  son-in-law  of  Montezuma,  was 
then,  by  the  unanimous  acclaim  of  his  countrymen, 
placed  upon  the  throne.  He  was  a  young  man  of 
high  reputation  for  ability  and  force  of  character,  and 
proved  himself  the  worthy  leader  of  his  nation  in  this 
dreadful  crisis  of  its  fate.  Guatemozin  assembled  all 
his  forces  in  the  capital,  as  the  strongest  point  upon 
which  they  could  stand  upon  their  defense. 

Cortez  decided  to  make  the  assault  by  three  divi- 
sions of  the  army,  each  marching  over  one  of  the 
causeways.  Sandoval  was  to  command  on  the  north, 
Alvarado  on  the  west,  and  Olid  on  the  south.  Cor- 
tez  reserved  to  himself  the   command  of  the  brigan- 


200  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

tines,  which  were  to  sweep  the  lakes,  and  drive  the 
war-canoes  of  the  natives  from  the  causeways.  Each 
brigantine  was  manned  with  twenty-five  Spaniards, 
and  armed  with  a  cannon,  whose  shot  would  make 
fearful  havoc  among  the  frail  and  crowded  canoes  of 
the  Mexicans. 

Guatemozin  immediately  foresaw  how  much  he 
had  to  dread  from  this  fleet,  and  decided  that,  at 
every  hazard,  he  must  attempt  its  destruction.  He 
accordingly  assembled  an  enormous  mass  of  canoes, 
hoping  by  numbers  to  overpower  the  enemy.  The 
day  was  calm;  not  a  ripple  disturbed  the  glassy  sur- 
face of  the  water,  when  a  fleet  of  canoes,  in  num- 
bers which  could  not  be  counted,  pushed  out  boldly 
into  the  lake  to  assail  the  brigantines  lying  at 
anchor. 

But  just  then,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  Spaniards 
and  to  the  dismay  of  the  Mexicans,  a  fresh  and  favor- 
able breeze  arose,  which  would  drive  the  brigantines 
resistlessly  through  the  swarm  of  fragile  boats  which 
were  approaching  them.  The  sails  were  instantly 
spread,  the  cannon  were  loaded  almost  to  the  muz- 
zle, and  the  work  of  death  began.  The  heavy  vessels 
crushed  the  canoes,  overturned  them,  drove  them  one 
upon  another  in  indescribable  confusion,  v/hile  the 
merciless  shot  pierced  bones,  and  nerves,  and  sinews, 
and  the  surface  of  the  lake  was  covered  with  the 
mutilated  bodies  of  the  dying  and  of  the  dead.     The 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  201 

water  was  red  with  blood,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
fleet  was  destroyed;  but  few  of  the  boats  escaped. 
The  Mexicans,  from  their  house-tops,  gazed  with  dis- 
may upon  this  awful  scene  of  carnage,  and  were  op- 
pressed with  fearful  forebodings  that  no  degree  of 
courage  and  no  superiority  of  numbers  could  avail 
them  against  the  terrible  engines  of  destruction  which 
European  skill  had  framed. 

Cortez  was  now  completely  master  of  the  lake. 
He  formed  his  brigantines  into  three  divisions,  to 
cover  the  assailants  on  the  three  causeways  and  to 
protect  them  from  any  attack  by  canoes.  He  thus 
also  preserved  communication,  prompt  and  effective, 
between  the  different  divisions  of  his  army.  The 
military  skill  displayed  by  Cortez  in  all  these  arrange- 
ments is  of  the  highest  kind.  The  conquest  of  Mex- 
ico was  not  achieved  by  accident,  but  by  sagacity, 
persevering  energy,  and  patient  toil  almost  unparal- 
leled. 

The  siege  was  now  prosecuted  with  the  most  de- 
termined vigor.  The  approaches  were  made  along 
the  three  causeways.  The  natives  had  broken  down 
the  bridges  and  reared  a  succession  of  formidable 
barricades,  and  as  they  were  driven  from  one  by  the 
irresistible  force  of  artillery,  they  retired,  with  firm- 
ness worthy  of  admiration,  to  the  next,  there  to  main- 
tain their  post  to  the  last  possible  moment.  The 
brigantines   approached   the   sides    of   the    causeways 


202  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

and  opened  a  destructive  fire  upon  the  valiant  defend- 
ers, where  the  Spaniards  were  exposed  to  no  danger 
in  return.  Thus  for  nearly  three  months,  by  day  and 
by  night,  on  the  land  and  on  the  water,  the  bloody 
strife  was  continued. 

Cortez  was  astonished  at  the  obstinacy  and  effi- 
ciency of  the  resistance  effected  by  the  besieged. 
Gradually,  however,  the  besiegers  advanced,  carefully 
filling  up  behind  them  the  gaps  in  the  causeway,  that 
they  might  easily,  if  necessary,  effect  a  retreat.  They 
were  taught  the  necessity  of  this  precaution  by  a  ter- 
rible repulse  which  they  at  one  time  encountered. 
Guatemozin,  with  a  quick  military  eye,  perceiving 
that  the  causeway  occupied  by  one  of  the  divisions 
of  the  Spaniards  was  impassable  behind  the  Spaniards 
from  trenches  unfilled,  and  broken  bridges,  and  the 
ruins  of  barricades,  ordered  the  Mexican  troops  to  re- 
tire, to  lure  the  Spaniards  forward.  He  then  collected 
an  enormous  force,  dispatching  some  in  canoes  along 
shallows  which  the  brigantines  could  not  approach, 
and  then,  at  a  signal  from  the  great  alarm  drum  on 
the  summit  of  the  temple,  whose  doleful  tones  could 
be  heard  for  miles,  the  whole  mass,  with  frantic  rage, 
stimulated  by  hope,  rushed  upon  the  foe.  The  sud- 
den assault,  so  impetuous,  and  sustained  by  such 
vast  numbers,  was  quite  successful.  The  Spaniards 
were  driven  back  in  confusion,  horsemen  and  infantry 
crowding  upon  each  other,  till  multitudes  were  forced, 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  203 

pell-mell,  horses,  and  cannon,  and  men,  into  the 
chasms.  Here  the  natives,  in  their  light  canoes,  fell 
furiously  upon  them.  More  than  twenty  Spaniards 
were  killed  outright,  and  forty,  mangled  and  bleed- 
ing, fell  alive  into  the  hands  of  the  victors.  There 
was  no  possible  escape  for  the  captives  from  their 
doom.     They  were  to  be  sacrificed  to  the  gods. 

This  was  an  awful  reverse,  and  the  Spaniards 
were  horror-stricken  in  contemplating  the  fate  of  their 
captured  comrades.  The  capital  was  that  night  illu- 
minated with  great  brilliance,  and  the  splendor  of  the 
great  pyramidal  temple,  blazing  with  innumerable 
torches,  gleamed  far  and  wide  over  the  lake.  It  was 
an  awful  spectacle  to  the  Spaniards,  for  they  well 
knew  the  scenes  which  were  transpiring  on  that  lofty 
altar  of  idolatry.  The  preparations  for  the  sacrifice 
could  be  distinctly  seen,  and  the  movements  of  the 
sacrificial  priests.  The  white  bodies  of  the  victims 
could  also  be  clearly  discerned  as  they  were  stripped 
naked  for  the  torture  and  the  knife;  and  when  the 
awful  torture  was  applied,  the  shrieks  of  the  wretched 
sufferers  pierced  the  still  night  air,  and  penetrated 
the  camp  of  the  Spaniards.  They  listened  appalled  to 
those  cries  of  agony,  imagining  that  they  could  dis- 
tinguish each  victim  by  the  sound  of  his  voice. 

This  awful  scene  is  thus  described  by  Diaz:  "On 
a  sudden,  our  ears  were  struck  by  the  horrific  sound 
of  the  great   drum,  the   timbrels,  horns  and   trumpets 


204  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

on  the  temple.  We  all  directed  our  eyes  thither, 
and,  shocking  to  relate,  saw  our  unfortunate  country- 
men driven  by  blows  to  the  place  where  they  were 
to  be  sacrificed,  which  bloody  ceremony  was  accom- 
panied by  the  dismal  sound  of  all  the  instruments  of 
the  temple.  We  perceived  that  when  they  had 
brought  the  wretched  victims  to  the  flat  summit  of 
the  body  of  the  temple,  they  put  plumes  upon  their 
heads,  and  made  them  dance  before  their  accursed 
idols.  When  they  had  done  this,  they  laid  them 
upon  their  backs  on  the  stone  used  for  the  purpose, 
where  they  cut  out  their  hearts  alive,  and  having 
presented  them,  yet  palpitating,  to  their  gods,  they 
drew  the  bodies  down  the  steps  by  the  feet,  where 
they  were  taken  by  others  of  their  priests.  Let  the 
reader  think  what  were  our  sensations  on  this  occa- 
sion. O  heavenly  God  !  said  we  to  ourselves,  do 
not  suffer  us  to  be  sacrificed  by  these  wretches.  Do 
not  suffer  us  to  die  so  cruel  a  death.  And  then, 
how  shocking  a  reflection,  that  we  were  unable  to 
relieve  our  poor  friends,  who  were  thus  murdered 
before  our  eyes." 

This  victory  elated  the  Mexicans  exceedingly. 
They  cut  off  the  heads  of  the  sacrificed  Spaniards, 
and  sent  them  to  the  adjacent  provinces,  to  prove 
that  their  gods,  now  appeased  by  this  signal  offering 
of  blood,  had  abandoned  the  enemy.  The  priests 
sent  the  assurance  far  and  wide  that  victory  was  now 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  205 

certain,  as  the  oracles  had  returned  the  response  that 
in  eight  days  the  detested  enemy  should  be  entirely 
destroyed.  This  prediction  exerted  a  great  influence 
upon  a  superstitious  people.  Many  of  the  natives  who 
had  joined  Cortez  deserted  his  cause,  and  even  the 
Tlascalans  began  to  waver.  The  prudence  and  shrewd- 
ness of  Cortez  again  met  the  danger  and  averted  it. 
For  eight  days  he  made  no  advance,  but  merely  stood 
on  the  defensive.  The  predicted  time  having  expired, 
he  said,  "You  see  that  the  gods  have  deceived  the 
Mexicans.     They  have  espoused  our  cause." 

The  fickle  people  immediately  returned  to  their 
stations,  and  others  joined  them,  so  that  Cortez,  ac- 
cording to  his  own  account,  now  found  himself  at 
the  head  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  Indians. 
Gomara  and  Herrera  assert  that  there  were  not  less 
than  two  hundred  thousand.  The  number  of  defend- 
ers in  the  Mexican  capital  can  not  with  accuracy  be 
ascertained.  It  is  estimated,  however,  from  various 
considerations,  that  there  must  have  been  at  least  two 
hundred  thousand. 

The  Spaniards,  in  this  sanguinary  and  protracted 
siege,  often  suffered  severely  for  want  of  food.  With 
apparent  reluctance,  the  historians  of  the  expedition 
record  that  their  Indian  auxiliaries  found  quite  an 
abundant  supply  for  themselves  in  the  bodies  of  their 
enemies.  Some  of  them  were  rather  ashamed  to  ac- 
knowledge  that   their  auxiliaries  were  inveterate  can- 


2o6  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

nibals.  Cortez,  however,  alludes  to  their  horrible  re- 
pasts quite  in  a  tone  of  indifference. 

With  greater  caution  the  Spaniards  now  advanced, 
fortifying  every  point  they  gained,  and  preparing  a 
smooth  and  unobstructed  road  in  the  rear.  Their 
progress  was  exceedingly  slow,  and  it  was  necessary 
to  adopt  every  possible  precaution  against  an  enemy 
who  had  manifested  such  unexpected  audacity  and 
skill.  As  the  Spaniards  pushed  forward,  the  Mexicans, 
contesting  every  inch  of  the  way,  sullenly  retired, 
rearing  barricade  after  barricade,  and  digging  ditch 
behind  ditch.  But  artillery  and  European  science  were 
sure,  in  the  end,  to  triumph.  Gradually  the  three 
divisions  of  the  army  forced  their  way  across  the 
causeways,  and  entered  the  streets  of  the  city.  But 
here  the  defense  was,  if  possible,  still  more  deter- 
mined and  sanguinary.  Every  street  was  a  guarded 
defile,  where  every  obstacle  was  interposed  which 
Mexican  military  skill  could  devise.  Every  house  was 
a  fortress,  from  whose  battlemented  roof  and  loop- 
holed  windows  a  shower  of  stones,  arrows,  and  jave- 
lins fell  upon  the  besiegers.  As  the  Spaniards  gained 
ground,  step  by  step,  they  leveled  every  house,  and 
left  entire  ruin  and  desolation  behind  them. 

Day  after  day  and  week  after  week  of  this  un- 
paralleled siege  lingered  along,  every  hour  of  which 
almost  was  a  battle.  The  Mexicans  fell  in  incredible 
numbers.     The  horrors  of  pestilence  and  famine  in  the 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  207 

pent-up  city  were  soon  added  to  the  awful  carnage 
and  misery  of  war.  The  brigantines  swept  the  lake, 
cutting  off  nearly  all  supplies  by  water  for  the  valiant 
yet  starving  defenders,  while  the  armies  on  the  cause- 
ways completely  invested  the  city  by  land.  Wan 
and  haggard,  these  unhappy  victims  of  European  ag- 
gression, even  when  all  hope  of  successful  resistance 
had  expired,  heroically  resolved  to  perish  to  the  last 
man,  and  to  bury  themselves  beneath  the  ruins  of 
their  city. 

Even  the  heart  of  Cortez  was  touched  with  the 
almost  unearthly  misery  he  was  inflicting  upon  an 
unoffending  people.  Again  and  again  he  sent  to 
Guatemozin  demanding  capitulation;  but  the  proud 
Mexican  monarch  rejected  every  overture  with  indig- 
nation and  scorn.  At  length  the  three  divisions  of 
the  army,  from  their  three  different  points  of  attack, 
penetrated  the  city  so  far  as  to  meet  at  the  great 
public  square.  The  whole  western  portion  of  the  city 
was  now  in  the  power  of  the  besiegers.  The  starv- 
ing and  dying  defenders  were  shut  up  in  a  small 
section  of  less  than  one  fourth  of  the  capital. 

The  Spaniards,  now  sure  of  success,  pressed  the 
siege  with  new  ardor.  Their  forces  had  met,  and 
were  combined  in  the  great  square.  The  avenues 
connecting  with  the  country  were  all  open  before 
them,  so  that  they  could  freely  go  and  come.  The 
lake    was    swept    by  the    brigantines,  and,  though    a 


208  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

swift  canoe  could  occasionally  shoot  along  the  shore, 
the  natives  could  not  venture,  in  the  face  of  such  a 
force,  to  cross  the  wide  expanse  of  water.  Affairs  in 
the  Mexican  camp  were  now  in  the  very  darkest 
state  of  misery  and  gloom. 

The  Mexicans  regarded  their  monarch  with  super- 
stitious veneration.  Upon  his  life  all  their  destinies 
were  suspended.  His  voice  was  omnipotent  with  the 
people.  After  a  long  deliberation,  the  desperate  re- 
solve was  adopted  to  send  Guatemozin  in  a  canoe 
across  the  broad  waters  of  the  lake,  which  like  an 
ocean  swept  around  the  city,  to  the  eastern  shore. 
But  Cortez,  ever  on  the  alert,  anticipated  this  move- 
ment, and  ordered  the  brigantines  to  maintain  the  most 
vigilant  watch.  The  Mexicans,  to  deceive  Cortez, 
sent  an  embassy  to  him  to  confer  upon  terms  of  ca- 
pitulation. They  hoped  thus  to  engage  his  attention 
so  that  Guatemozin  could  escape  unperceived,  and, 
having  roused  all  the  distant  provinces,  who  would 
spring  to  arms  at  his  voice,  could  make  an  assault 
upon  the  rear  of  the  foe. 

Sandoval  was  now  placed  in  command  of  the 
brigantines.  He  observed  one  morning  several  canoes, 
crowded  with  people  and  plied  by  strong  rowers, 
shoot  from  the  city,  and  direct  their  course  across 
the  lake  toward  the  eastern  shore.  The  signal  was 
instantly  given  for  pursuit.  Unfortunately  for  the 
Mexicans,  a   favorable   breeze   sprang  up,  and   one  of 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  209 

the  brigantines  soon  drew  near  the  largest  boat. 
The  cannon  was  loaded,  and  heavily  shotted  and 
aimed.  The  gunner  stood  ready  with  his  lighted 
torch.  In  another  moment  the  fatal  discharge  would 
have  strewed  the  lake  with  the  fragments  of  the  boat 
and  the  mangled  bodies  of  the  slain.  The  Mexicans,  re- 
gardless of  their  own  lives,  but  intensely  anxious  for 
the  safety  of  their  sovereign,  dropped  their  oars,  and 
holding  up  their  hands  beseechingly,  with  cries  and 
tears,  besought  the  Spaniards  not  to  fire,  exclaiming 
that  the  emperor  was  there. 

Eagerly  the  precious  prize  was  seized.  The  heroic 
Guatemozin  with  dignity  surrendered  himself  into  the 
hands  of  his  victors,  asking  no  favor  for  himself,  but 
simply  requesting  that  no  insult  might  be  offered  to 
the  empress  or  his  children,  who  were  in  the  boat 
with  him.  With  much  exultation,  the  captive  mon- 
arch, who  was  but  twenty-four  years  of  age,  was 
conveyed  to  the  shore,  and  conducted  into  the  pres- 
ence of  Cortez.  Guatemozin  retained  his  fortitude 
unshaken.  Looking  firmly  upon  his  conqueror,  he 
said,  loftily, 

"I  have  done  what  became  a  monarch.  I  have 
defended  my  people  to  the  last  extremity.  Nothing 
now  remains  for  me  but  to  die.  Take  this  dagger,"  he 
continued,  placing  his  hand  upon  the  one  which  Cortez 
wore  at  his  side,  "and  plunge  it  into  my  bosom, 
and  thus  end  a  life  which  is  henceforth   useless." 

M.  of  H.— xv— 14 


210  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

Cortez  well  knew  how  to  act  the  part  of  magna- 
nimity. He  was  by  instinct  a  man  of  princely  man- 
ners. Castilian  grace  and  dignity  ever  shone  pre-em- 
inent in  his  movements.  He  endeavored  to  console 
his  vanquished  foe,  whose  bold  defense  commanded 
his  respect. 

"You  are  not  my  captive,"  said  he,  "but  the 
prisoner  of  the  greatest  monarch  of  Europe.  From 
his  great  clemency,  you  may  hope  not  only  that  you 
may  be  restored  to  liberty,  but  that  you  may  again 
be  placed  upon  the  throne  which  you  have  so  val- 
iantly defended." 

Guatemozin  had  no  confidence  in  the  word  of 
Cortez.  He  knew  well  the  perfidy  and  the  treachery 
which  had  marked  every  step  of  the  invader's  march 
thus  far.  Proudly  disdaining  to  manifest  any  concern 
for  his  own  fate,  he  plead  only  that  Cortez  would  be 
merciful  to  his  suffering  people.  The  conqueror  prom- 
ised compassion  if  Guatemozin  would  command  their 
instant  surrender.  This  was  promptly  done,  and  the 
command  was  instantly  obeyed.  The  Mexicans  lost 
all  heart  as  soon  as  they  learned  that  their  monarch 
was  a  prisoner.  Cortez  immediately  took  possession 
of  a  small  portion  of  the  city  which  still  remained 
undestroyed. 

Thus  terminated  this  memorable  siege,  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  which  has  been  recorded  in  the  hor- 
rid annals  of  war.     It  had  continued  for   seventy-five 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  211 

days  of  almost  incessant  conflict.  Almost  every  hour 
the  fiercest  battle  raged,  as  step  by  step  the  assail- 
ants, with  the  utmost  effort  and  difficulty,  crowded 
back  the  valiant  defenders.  No  less  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  Mexicans  perished  in  this  awful 
and  atrocious  siege.  The  Spaniards,  who  wished  to 
make  their  loss  appear  as  small  as  possible,  admit 
that  one  hundred  of  the  Spanish  soldiers  fell,  and 
many  thousands  of  their  allies. 

Nearly  the  whole  capital  was  now  but  a  mass  of 
blackened  and  smouldering  ruins.  Its  numerous 
squares,  streets,  and  courts,  but  recently  so  beautiful 
in  their  neat  order,  and  their  embellishments  of  shrub- 
bery and  flowers,  were  now  clotted  with  blood  and 
covered  with  the  mangled  bodies  of  the  slain.  The 
sight  was  hideous  even  to  those  accustomed  to  all 
the  revolting  scenes  which  demoniac  war  ever  brings 
in  its  train. 

The  ground  was  covered  with  the  dead.  Among 
the  putrefying  heaps  some  wretches  were  seen, 
wounded,  bleeding,  and  crawling  about  in  advanced 
stages  of  those  loathsome  diseases  produced  by  famine 
and  misery. 

The  air  was  so  polluted  with  the  masses  of  the 
dead,  decaying  beneath  the  rays  of  a  tropical  sun, 
that  Cortez  was  compelled  to  withdraw  his  army 
from  the  city  that  the  dead  might  be  removed  and 
the  streets  purified.     For  three  days  and  three  nights 


212  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

the  causeways  were  thronged  by  endless  processions 
of  the  natives  bearing  the  mouldering  corpses  from 
the  city.  But  the  Spaniards  were  insensible  to  the 
woes  which  they  had  inflicted  upon  others  in  their 
exultation  over  their  great  victory.  They  had  con- 
quered the  enemy.  The  capital  was  in  their  hands, 
and  they  had  now  but  to  collect  the  boundless  treas- 
ures which  they  supposed  were  accumulated  in  the 
halls  of  Montezuma.  It  was  on  Tuesday,  the  13th  of 
August,  1 52 1,  that  the  conflict  ceased.  The  mighty 
empire  of  Mexico  on  that  day  perished,  and  there  re- 
mained in  its  stead  but  a  colony  of  Spain. 

On  the  very  day  of  the  capture  Cortez  searched 
every  spot  where  treasure  could  be  found,  and  having 
collected  every  thing  of  value,  returned  to  his  camp, 
"giving  thanks,"  he  says,  "to  our  Lord  for  so  signal 
a  reward  and  so  desirable  a  victory  as  he  has  granted 
us."  He  continued  for  three  or  four  days  searching 
eagerly  for  spoils,  amid  all  the  scenes  of  horror  pre- 
sented by  the  devastated  city.  All  the  gold  and  silver 
which  were  found  were  melted  down,  and  one  fifth 
was  set  apart  for  the  King  of  Spain,  while  the  rest 
was  divided  among  the  Spaniards  according  to  their 
rank  and  services. 

"Among  the  spoils  obtained  in  the  city,"  says 
Cortez,  in  his  dispatch  to  Charles  V.,  "were  many 
shields  of  gold,  plumes,  panaches,  and  other  articles 
of  so    wonderful  a   character,  that   language    will    not 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  213 

convey  an  idea  of  them  nor  could  a  correct  concep- 
tion be  formed  of  their  rare  excellence  without  seeing 
them." 

Still  the  booty  which  was  gained  fell  far  short  of 
the  expectation  of  the  victors.  The  heroic  Guatemozin, 
when  the  hope  of  successful  defense  had  expired,  de- 
termined that  the  conquerors  should  not  be  enriched 
by  the  treasures  of  the  empire.  A  vast  amount  was 
consequently  sent  out  in  boats,  and  sunk  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  lake.  For  a  short  time,  however,  exulta- 
tion in  view  of  their  great  victory  caused  both  the 
commander  and  his  soldiers  to  forget  their  disappoint- 
ment; love  of  glory  for  a  moment  triumphed  over 
avarice. 

The  native  allies  had  been  but  tools  in  the  hand 
of  Cortez  to  subjugate  the  Mexicans.  The  deluded 
natives  had  thus  also  subjugated  themselves.  They 
were  now  powerless,  and  the  bond-servants  of  the 
Spaniards.  Cortez  allowed  them  to  sack  the  few  re- 
maining dwellings  of  the  smouldering  capital,  and  to 
load  themselves  with  such  articles  as  might  seem 
valuable  to  semi-barbarian  eyes,  but  which  would  have 
no  cash  value  in  Spain.  With  this  share  of  the 
plunder  they  were  satisfied,  and  their  camp  resounded 
with  revelry  as  those  fierce  warriors,  with  songs  and 
dances,  exulted  over  the  downfall  of  their  ancient  foes. 
Cortez  thanked  them  for  their  assistance,  praised  them 
for  their  valor,  and  told   them   that  they  might  now 


214  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

go  home.  They  went  home,  soon  to  find  that  it  was 
to  them  home  no  more.  The  stranger  possessed  their 
country,  and  they  and  their   children  were  his  slaves. 

In  the  Spanish  camp  the  victory  was  honored  by 
a  double  celebration.  The  first  was  purely  worldly, 
and  religion  was  held  entirely  in  abeyance.  Bonfires 
blazed.  Deep  into  the  night  the  drunken  revelry  re- 
sounded over  the  lake,  until  Father  Olmedo  remon- 
strated against  such   godless  wassail. 

The  next  day  was  appropriated  to  the  religious 
celebration.  The  whole  army  was  formed  into  a  pro- 
cession. The  image  of  the  peaceful  Virgin  was  deco- 
rated with  tattered,  blackened,  and  bloodstained  ban- 
ners, beneath  which  the  Christians  had  so  successfully 
struggled  against  the  heathen.  With  hymns  and 
chants,  and  in  the  repetition  of  creeds  and  prayers, 
this  piratic  band  of  fanatics,  crimson  with  the  blood 
of  the  innocent,  moved  to  an  appointed  sanctuary, 
where  Father  Olmedo  preached  an  impressive  sermon, 
and  solemnized  the  ordinance  of  the  mass.  The  sac- 
rament was  administered  to  Cortez  and  his  captains, 
and,  with  the  imposing  accompaniments  of  martial 
music  and  pealing  artillery,  thanksgivings  were  offered 
to  God. 

Bernal  Diaz  gives  the  following  quaint  and  graphic 
account  of  these  festivities: 

"After  having  returned  thanks  to  God,  Cortez  deter- 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  215 

mined  to  celebrate  his  success  by  a  festival  in  Cuyoacan. 
A  vessel  had  arrived  at  Villa  Rica  with  a  cargo  of 
wine,  and  hogs  had  been  provided  from  the  island  of 
Cuba.  To  this  entertainment  he  invited  all  the  officers 
of  his  army,  and  also  the  soldiers  of  estimation.  All 
things  being  prepared,  on  the  day  appointed  we 
waited  on  our  general. 

"When  we  came  to  sit  down  to  dinner,  there  were 
not  tables  for  one  half  of  us.  This  brought  on  great 
confusion  among  the  company,  and,  indeed,  for  many 
reasons,  it  would  have  been  much  better  let  alone. 
The  plant  of  Noah  was  the  cause  of  many  fooleries 
and  worse  things.  It  made  some  leap  over  the  tables 
who  afterward  could  not  go  out  at  the  doors,  and  many 
rolled  down  the  steps.  The  private  soldiers  swore 
they  would  buy  horses  with  golden  harness.  The 
cross-bow-men  would  use  none  but  golden  arrows. 
All  were  to  have  their  fortunes  made. 

"When  the  tables  were  taken  away,  the  soldiers 
danced  in  their  armor  with  the  ladies,  as  many  of 
them  as  there  were,  but  the  disproportion  in  numbers 
was  very  great.  This  scene  was  truly  ridiculous.  I 
will  not  mention  the  names;  suffice  it  to  say,  a  fair 
field  was  open  for  satire.  Father  Olmedo  thought 
what  he  observed  at  the  feast  and  in  the  dances  too 
scandalous,  and  complained  to  Sandoval.  The  latter 
directly  told  Cortez  how  the  reverend  father  was  scold- 
ing and  grumbling. 


216  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

"Cortez,  discreet  in  all  his  actions,  immediately 
went  to  Father  Olmedo,  and,  affecting  to  disapprove 
of  the  whole  affair,  requested  that  he  would  order  a 
solemn  mass  and  thanksgiving,  and  preach  a  sermon 
to  the  soldiers  of  the  moral  and  religious  duties. 
Father  Olmedo  was  highly  pleased  at  this,  thinking  it 
had  originated  spontaneously  from  Cortez,  and  not 
knowing  that  the  hint  had  been  given  him  by  Sandoval. 
Accordingly,  the  crucifixes  and  the  image  of  Our  Lady 
were  borne  in  solemn  procession,  with  drums  and 
standards.  The  Litany  was  sung  during  the  ceremony. 
Father  Olmedo  preached  and  administered  the  sacra- 
ment, and  we  returned  thanks  to  God  for  our  victory." 

But  now  came  the  hour  for  discontent  and  mur- 
muring. The  excitement  was  over,  the  din  of  arms 
was  hushed,  the  beautiful  city  was  entirely  destroyed, 
and  two  hundred  thousand  of  the  wretched  inhabitants, 
whose  only  crime  against  the  Spaniards  was  that  they 
defended  their  wives,  their  children,  and  their  homes, 
were  festering  in  the  grave.  In  counting  up  their 
gains,  these  guilty  men  found  that  the  whole  sum 
amounted  to  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
dollars.  Their  grievous  disappointment  vented  itself 
in  loud  complainings,  and  was  soon  turned  into  rage. 
They  accused  Guatemozin  of  having  secreted  the 
treasure  which  had  been  hoarded  up,  and  demanded 
that    he    should    be    put    to    the    torture    to    compel 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  217 

him  to  disclose  the  place  of  concealment.  Cortez,  for 
a  time,  firmly  refused  to  yield  to  this  atrocious  de- 
mand; but  the  clamor  of  the  disaffected  grew  louder 
and  louder,  until  at  last  Cortez  was  accused  of  being 
in  agreement  with  Guatemozin,  that  he  might  appro- 
priate to  his  own  use  the  secreted  treasure. 

Thus  goaded,  Cortez  infamously  consented  that  the 
unhappy  captive  monarch  should  be  put  to  the  torture. 
The  cacique  of  Tacuba,  the  companion  of  Guatemozin, 
and  his  highest  officer,  was  put  to  the  torture  with 
him.  A  hot  fire  was  kindled,  and  the  feet  of  the 
wretched  victims,  drenched  in  oil,  were  exposed  to  the 
burning  coals.  Guatemozin  had  nothing  to  reveal. 
He  could  merely  assert  that  the  treasures  of  the  city 
were  thrown  into  the  lake.  With  extraordinary  for- 
titude he  endured  the  agony,  adding  additional  luster 
to  a  name  already  ennobled  by  the  heroism  with 
which  he  conducted  the  defense.  His  companion 
died  upon  this  bed  of  agony.  In  the  extremity  of  his 
torment,  he  turned  an  imploring  eye  toward  the  king. 
Guatemozin,  it  is  recorded,  observing  his  look,  replied, 
"Am  I,  then,  reposing  upon  a  bed  of  flowers?" 
Cortez,  who  had  reluctantly  yielded  to  this  atrocity, 
at  last  interposed,  and  rescued  the  imperial  sufferer. 
Cortez  has  much  to  answer  for  before  the  bar  of  this 
world's  judgment.  For  many  of  his  criminal  acts 
some  apology  may  be  framed,  but  for  the  torture  of 
Guatemozin    he    stands    condemned   without    excuse. 


218  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

No  voice  will  plead  his  cause.  Cortez  seemed  to  be 
fully  aware  that  it  was  not  a  creditable  story  for  him 
to  tell,  and  in  his  dispatches  to  the  King  of  Spain  he 
made  no  allusion  to  the  event. 

It  was  a  grievous  disappointment  to  Cortez  that 
so  little  treasure  was  obtained,  for  his  ambition  was 
roused  to  send  immense  sums  to  the  Spanish  court, 
that  he  might  purchase  high  favor  with  his  monarch 
by  thus  proving  the  wealth  and  grandeur  of  the  king- 
dom he  had  subjugated.  Cortez  himself  accompanied 
a  party  of  practiced  divers  upon  the  lake,  and  long 
and  anxiously  conducted  the  search;  but  the  divers 
invariably  returned  from  the  oozy  bottom  empty- 
handed:  no  treasure  could  be  found. 

It  has  before  been  mentioned  that  the  empire  of 
Mexico  consisted  of  a  conglomeration  of  once  inde- 
pendent nations,  which  had  been  in  various  ways 
annexed  to  the  mammoth  empire.  It  was  somewhat 
like  Austria,  having  many  Hungarys  and  Polands  ripe 
for  revolt.  Cortez  had  adroitly  availed  himself  of 
these  disaffections  in  accomplishing  his  wonderful 
conquest.  The  Zempoallans  and  Tlascalans  augmented 
his  ranks  with  fierce  warriors  nearly  two  hundred 
thousand  in  number.  There  were  many  provinces  of 
the  empire  on  the  north  and  the  west  which  as  yet 
no  European  foot  had  ever  entered.  It  was  a  question 
whether  these  remote  provinces  would  band  together 
in   hostility   to   the   Spaniards,    and   thus    indefinitely 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  219 

protract  the  conflict,  or  whether,  seeing  the  capital  in 
ruins  and  their  monarch  a  captive,  they  would  admit 
the  hopelessness  of  the  strife,  and  yield  to  their  con- 
querors. 

Far  and  wide,  through  the  valleys  and  over  the 
mountains,  the  tidings  of  the  annihilation  of  the  Mexi- 
can army  was  borne  by  the  Indian  runners,  awaken- 
ing consternation  every  where  in  view  of  the  resistless 
power  of  the  victors.  Some,  however,  who  were 
restive  under  the  Mexican  yoke,  were  not  unwilling 
to  exchange  masters.  To  the  great  relief  and  joy  of 
Cortez,  day  after  day,  envoys  flocked  to  his  presence 
from  powerful  nations  to  proffer  allegiance  and  implore 
clemency.  Cortez  received  them  all  with  great  cour- 
tesy and  hospitality,  and  took  not  a  little  pleasure  in 
witnessing  the  amazement  with  which  these  embas- 
sadors contemplated  the  power,  to  them  supernatural, 
which  the  Spaniards  wielded.  The  brigantines  spread 
their  sails  and  plowed  their  way,  with  speed  which 
no  canoe  could  equal,  over  the  foamy  waters  of  the 
lake.  The  cavalry  wheeled  and  charged  in  all  those 
prompt  and  orderly  evolutions  to  which  the  war-horse 
can  be  trained.  And  when  the  heavy  artillery  uttered 
its  roar,  and  shivered  the  distant  rock  with  its  thunder- 
bolt, the  envoys,  amazed,  bewildered,  and  appalled, 
were  prepared  to  make  any  concessions  rather  than 
incur  the  displeasure  of  such  fearful  foes. 

The  power  of  Cortez  was   now  unquestioned,  and 


22o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

Mexico  was  in  the  dust  before  him.  Still,  the  con- 
queror was  in  great  perplexity  respecting  the  light  in 
which  his  conduct  was  viewed  in  the  court  of  his 
stern  monarch,  Charles  V.  While  engaged  in  the 
slaughter  of  two  or  three  hundred  thousand  people, 
while  overrunning  nations  and  establishing  new  gov- 
ernments, he  was  acting  not  only  without  authority 
from  his  government,  but  in  direct  opposition  to  its 
commands.  Velasquez,  the  Governor  of  Cuba,  was 
invested  with  authority  by  the  voice  of  the  emperor, 
and  yet  Cortez  had  set  his  power  at  defiance.  By 
the  command  of  the  emperor,  expeditions  had  been 
fitted  out  to  prosecute  discoveries  and  to  acquire  do- 
minion in  Mexico,  and  yet  Cortez  had  audaciously 
made  war  upon  these  bands  marching  under  the  ban- 
ner of  Spain.  He  had  slain  many,  taken  the  rest, 
prisoners,  and  constrained  them,  by  bribes  and  men- 
aces, to  join  his  marauding  army.  Cortez  well  knew 
that  this  was  treason,  and  that  he  was  liable  to  an- 
swer for  it  with  his  life.  He  well  knew  that  Velas- 
quez, mortified  and  exasperated,  had  made  bitter 
complaints  against  him  at  court,  and  that  there  was 
no  one  there  effectually  to  plead  his  cause. 

Under  these  circumstances,  Cortez  awaited  with 
much  solicitude  the  next  arrival  from  Spain.  In  the 
mean  time,  he  made  every  possible  effort  to  transmit 
gold  and  silver  to  the  Spanish  monarch,  and  with  un- 
tiring zeal  urged   his  discoveries,    that   he    might   en- 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  221 

noble  himself  and  win  the  gratitude  of  his  sovereign 
by  adding  to  the  wealth,  the  dominion,  and  the  fame 
of  his  native  kingdom.  Wishing  to  assume  that  he 
was  acting  humbly  as  the  servant  of  his  king,  he  sent 
him,  in  the  form  of  dispatches,  a  minute  account  of 
all  his  movements. 

As  a  specimen  of  these  dispatches,  the  reader  will 
peruse  with  interest  the  following  account  of  the  last 
two  days  of  the  siege.  This  dispatch  is  dated  from 
the  City  of  Cuyoacan  (Mexico),  May  15th,  1522.  This 
city  was  on  the  main  land,  at  the  end  of  one  of  the 
causeways  which  led  to  the  island  capital.  The  letter 
is  thus  humbly  addressed: 

"Most  high  and  potent  Prince;  most  catholic  and 
invincible  Emperor,  King,  and  Lord." 

This  narrative  of  the  siege  is  so  minute  as  to  oc- 
cupy one  hundred  and  fifty  closely-printed  octavo 
pages,  and  gives  a  circumstantial  account  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  each  day.  The  closing  paragraphs  only 
are  here  extracted.  The  narrative  which  Cortez  gives 
sometimes  differs,  in  unimportant  particulars,  from  that 
recorded  by  other  historians  of  the  campaign,  who  were 
eye-witnesses  of  the  scenes  which  they  described. 

"As  soon  as  it  was  day,  I  caused  our  whole  force 
to  be  in  readiness,  and  the  heavy  guns  to  be  brought 
out.  The  day  before,  I  had  ordered  Pedro  de  Alvarado 
to  wait  for  me  in  the  square  of  the  market-place,  and 


222  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

not  to  attack  the  enemy  until  I  arrived.  Being  all 
assembled,  and  the  brigantines  drawn  up  ready  for 
action  on  the  right  of  the  houses  situated  on  the 
water,  where  the  enemy  were  stationed,  I  directed 
that  when  they  heard  the  discharge  of  a  musket,  the 
land  force  should  enter  the  small  part  of  the  city  that 
remained  to  be  taken,  and  drive  the  enemy  toward 
the  water,  where  the  brigantines  lay.  I  enjoined  much 
upon  them  to  look  for  Guatemozin,  and  endeavor  to 
take  him  alive,  as  in  that  case  the  war  would  cease. 
I  then  ascended  a  terrace,  and,  before  the  combat  be- 
gan, addressed  some  of  the  nobles  whom  I  knew, 
asking  them  for  what  reason  their  sovereign  refused 
to  come  to  me  when  they  were  reduced  to  such  ex- 
tremities, adding  that  there  was  no  good  cause  why 
they  should  all  perish,  and  that  they  should  go  and 
call  him,  and  have  no  fears. 

"Two  of  the  principal  nobles  then  went  to  call  the 
emperor.  After  a  short  time  they  returned,  accom- 
panied by  one  of  the  most  considerable  of  their  per- 
sonages, Ciquacoacin,  a  captain  and  governor  over 
them  all,  by  whose  counsels  the  whole  affairs  of  the 
war  were  conducted.  I  received  him  with  great  kind- 
ness, that  he  might  feel  perfectly  secure  and  free  from 
apprehensions.  At  last  he  said  that  'the  emperor 
would  by  no  means  come  into  my  presence,  prefer- 
ring rather  to  die;  that  his  determination  grieved  him 
much,  but  that  I  must  do  whatever  I  desired.'     When 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  223 

I  saw  that  this  was  his  settled  purpose,  I  told  the 
noble  messenger  to  return  to  his  friends,  and  prepare 
for  the  renewal  of  the  war,  which  I  was  resolved  to 
continue  until  their  destruction  was  complete.  So  he 
departed. 

"More  than  five  hours  had  been  spent  in  these 
conferences,  during  which  time  many  of  the  inhab- 
itants were  crowded  together  upon  piles  of  the  dead; 
some  were  on  the  water,  and  others  were  seen  swim- 
ming about  or  drowning  in  the  part  of  the  lake 
where  the  canoes  were  lying,  which  was  of  consider- 
able extent.  Indeed,  so  excessive  were  the  sufferings 
of  the  people,  that  no  one  could  imagine  how  they 
were  able  to  sustain  them;  and  an  immense  multi- 
tude of  men,  women,  and  children  were  compelled  to 
seek  refuge  with  us,  many  of  whom,  in  their  eager- 
ness to  reach  us,  threw  themselves  into  the  water, 
and  were  drowned  among  the  mass  of  dead  bodies. 
It  appeared  that  the  number  of  persons  who  had 
perished,  either  from  drinking  salt  water,  from  famine 
or  pestilence,  amounted  altogether  to  more  than  fifty 
thousand  souls. 

"In  order  to  conceal  their  necessitous  condition 
from  our  knowledge,  the  bodies  of  the  dead  were  not 
thrown  into  the  water,  lest  the  brigantines  should 
come  in  contact  with  them,  nor  were  they  taken  away 
from  the  places  where  they  had  died,  lest  we  should 
see  them  about  the  city;  but   in   those   streets  where 


224  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

they  had  perished  we  found  heaps  of  dead  bodies  so 
frequent,  that  a  person  passing  could  not  avoid  step- 
ping upon  them;  and  when  the  people  of  the  city 
flocked  toward  us,  I  caused  Spaniards  to  be  stationed 
through  all  the  streets  to  prevent  our  allies  from  de- 
stroying the  wretched  persons  who  came  out  in  such 
multitudes.  I  also  charged  the  captains  of  our  allies 
to  forbid,  by  all  means  in  their  power,  the  slaughter 
of  these  fugitives;  yet  all  my  precautions  were  in- 
sufficient to  prevent  it,  and  that  day  more  than  fifteen 
thousand  lost  their  lives.  At  the  same  time,  the  bet- 
ter classes  and  the  warriors  of  the  city  were  pent  up 
within  narrow  limits,  confined  to  a  few  terraces  and 
houses,  or  sought  refuge  on  the  water;  but  no  con- 
cealment prevented  our  seeing  their  miserable  condi- 
tion and  weakness  with  sufficient  clearness. 

"As  the  evening  approached  and  no  sign  of  their 
surrender  appeared,  I  ordered  the  two  pieces  of  ord- 
nance to  be  leveled  toward  the  enemy,  to  try  their 
effect  in  causing  them  to  yield;  but  they  suffered 
greater  injury  when  full  license  was  given  to  the  allies 
to  attack  them  than  from  the  cannon,  although 
the  latter  did  them  some  mischief.  As  this  was  of 
little  avail,  I  ordered  the  musketry  to  be  fired.  When 
a  certain  angular  space,  where  they  were  crowded 
together,  was  gained,  and  some  of  the  people  thrown 
into  the  water,  those  that  remained  there  yielded 
themselves  prisoners  without  a  struggle. 


THE  CAPITAL  BESIEGED,  ETC.  225 

"In  the  mean  time,  the  brigantines  suddenly  entered 
that  part  of  the  lake,  and  broke  through  the  midst  of 
the  fleet  of  canoes,  the  warriors  who  were  in  them 
not  daring  to  make  any  resistance.  It  pleased  God 
that  the  captain  of  a  brigantine,  named  Garci  Holguin, 
came  up  behind  a  canoe  in  which  there  seemed  to  be 
persons  of  distinction;  and  when  the  archers,  who 
were  stationed  in  the  bow  of  the  brigantine,  took 
aim  at  those  in  the  canoe,  they  made  a  signal  that 
the  emperor  was  there,  that  the  men  might  not  dis- 
charge their  arrows.  Instantly  our  people  leaped  into 
the  canoe,  and  seized  in  it  Guatemozin  and  the  Lord 
of  Tacuba,  together  with  other  distinguished  persons 
whc  accompanied  the  emperor. 

"Immediately  after  this  occurrence,  Garci  Holguin, 
the  captain,  delivered  to  me,  on  a  terrace  adjoining 
the  lake,  where  I  was  standing,  Guatemozin,  with 
other  noble  prisoners.  As  I,  without  showing  any 
asperity  of  manner,  bade  him  sit  down,  he  came  up 
to  me  and  said,  in  his  own  tongue, 

"'That  he  had  done  all  that  was  incumbent  on 
him  in  defense  of  himself  and  his  people,  until  he 
was  reduced  to  his  present  condition;  that  now  I 
might  do  with  him  as  I  pleased.'  He  then  laid  his 
hand  on  a  poniard  that  I  wore,  telling  me  to  strike 
him  to  the  heart. 

"  I  spoke  encouragingly  to  him,  and  bade  him 
have    no    fears.     Thus,    the    emperor   being    taken    a 

M.  of  H.— XV— 15 


226  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

prisoner,  the  war  ceased  at  this  point,  which  it 
pleased  God  our  Lord  to  bring  to  a  conclusion  on 
Tuesday,  St.  Hippolytus's  day,  the  thirteenth  of  Au- 
gust, 1 521;  so  that  from  the  day  in  which  the  city 
was  first  invested,  the  3d  of  May  in  that  year, 
until  it  was  taken,  seventy-five  days  had  elapsed, 
during  which  time  your  majesty  will  see  what  labors, 
dangers,  and  calamities  your  subjects  endured,  and 
their  deeds  afford  the  best  evidence  how  much  they 
exposed  their  lives." 

For  three  hundred  years,  while  Mexico  remained 
under  Spanish  rule,  the  anniversary  of  this  victory 
was  regularly  celebrated  with  all  the  accompaniments 
of  national  rejoicing. 


CHAPTER     X. 

The  Conquest  Consummated. 

Discovery  of  the  Pacific. —  Cortez's  elation. —  Cortez's  dispatch. —  He  sends  to 
take  possession  of  the  coast. —  The  exploring  parties. —  Release  of  the 
captives. —  Rebuilding  the  city. —  Power  of  Cortez. —  Progress  of  affairs  in 
Spain. —  Warrant  against  Cortez. —  The  commissioner. —  His  reception. — 
Tapia's  weak  points. —  His  return. —  Cortez's  dispatch. —  Cortez's  account 
of  the  arrival  of  Tapia. —  Cortez  unable  to  visit  Tapia. —  Father  Urrea 
dispatched  to  Vera  Cruz. —  Cortez  prepares  to  go  to  Vera  Cruz,  but  is  dis- 
suaded.—  Embassadors  to  Tapia. —  Delay  asked. —  Departure  of  Tapia. — 
Advice  respecting  Tapia. —  Reasons  for  not  sending  letters  by  him. —  In- 
surrection.—  Punishment. —  Severe  chastisement. —  Nuuo  de  Guzman. — 
Influence  at  court. —  Charges  against  Cortez. —  Cortez's  defense  to  the 
charges  against  him. —  Defense  triumphant. —  Cortez  appointed  governor. 

—  His  powers.—  better  from  the  emperor. —  Depression  of  his  enemies. — 
Unfair  dealings. —  Escape  from  remonstrants. —  Expedition  to  Zapoteca. 

—  Great  peril. —  They  abandon  the  scheme. —  Progress  of  the  new  city. — 
Cortez's    palace. —  Religious    zeal. —  Catholic  priests. — Approach  to  the- 
metropolis. —  Reception  by  Cortez. —  Success  of  the  missionaries. —  Col- 
onies.—  Arrival  of  Donna  Cataliua. —  Death  of  Catalina. —  Suspicions  of 
murder. 

With  zeal  and  energy  which  never  slept,  Cor- 
tez fitted  out  several  expeditions  to  ex- 
plore the  country,  to  study  its  geography, 
and  to  ascertain  its  resources.  One  party,  ascending 
the  heights  of  the  Cordilleras,  gazed  with  delight  upon 
the  placid  expanse  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and,  descend- 
ing the  western  declivity,  planted  the  cross  upon  the 
sandy  shores  of  that  hitherto  unknown  sea.  Cortez 
was   exceedingly   elated   with   this    discovery,    for   he 

(227) 


228  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

considered  it  another  bribe  with  which  to  purchase 
the  favor  of  his  sovereign.  He  immediately  made  ar- 
rangements for  establishing  a  colony  on  the  Pacific 
shores,  and  ordered  four  vessels  to  be  built  to  prose- 
cute farther  discoveries.  He  lost  no  time  in  transmit- 
ting to  the  emperor  the  tidings  of  this  great  achieve- 
ment. 

"I  have  received,  most  powerful  sire,"  he  wrote, 
"some  account  of  another  sea  to  the  south,  and 
learned  that  at  two  or  three  points  it  was  twelve, 
thirteen,  and  fourteen  days'  journey  from  this  city. 
The  information  gave  me  much  pleasure,  for  it  ap- 
peared to  me  that  the  discovery  would  prove  a  great 
and  signal  service  to  your  majesty,  especially  as  all 
who  possess  any  knowledge  or  experience  in  naviga- 
tion to  the  Indies  have  considered  it  certain  that  the 
discovery  of  the  South  Sea  in  these  parts  would  bring 
to  light  many  islands  rich  in  gold,  pearls,  precious 
stones,  and  spiceries,  together  with  many  other  un- 
known and  choice  productions.  The  same  has  been 
affirmed  also  by  persons  versed  in  learning  and  skilled 
in  the  science  of  cosmography.  With  such  views, 
and  a  desire  that  I  might  render  your  majesty  a  dis- 
tinguished and  memorable  service  in  this  matter,  I 
dispatched  four  Spaniards,  two  by  one  route  and  two 
by  another,  who,  having  obtained  the  necessary  in- 
formation as  to  the  course  they  were  to  take,  set  out, 
accompanied  by  several  of  our   allies   as   guides   and 


CONQUEST  CONSUMMATED      229 

companions.  I  ordered  them  not  to  stop  until  they 
had  reached  the  sea,  and  when  they  had  discovered 
it,  to  take  actual  and  corporal  possession  in  the  name 
of  your  majesty. 

"One  of  these  parties  traveled  about  one  hundred 
and  thirty  leagues,  through  many  fine  provinces,  with- 
out encountering  any  obstacles,  and  arrived  at  the  sea, 
of  which  they  took  possession,  and,  in  token  thereof, 
set  up  crosses  along  the  coast.  After  some  days  they 
returned  with  an  account  of  their  discovery,  and  in- 
formed me  very  particularly  concerning  it.  They 
brought  with  them  several  of  the  natives  from  that 
quarter,  together  with  good  specimens  of  gold  from 
the  mines  found  in  the  provinces  through  which  they 
passed,  which,  with  other  specimens,  I  now  send  to 
your  majesty. 

"The  other  party  were  absent  somewhat  longer, 
for  they  took  a  different  course,  and  traveled  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  leagues  before  they  reached  the  sea,  of 
which  they  also  took  possession,  and  brought  me  a  full 
account  of  the  coast,  with  some  of  the  natives  of  the 
country.  I  received  the  strangers  in  both  parties  gra- 
ciously, and  having  informed  them  of  the  great  power 
of  your  majesty,  and  made  them  some  presents,  I 
suffered  them  to  depart  on  their  return  to  their  own 
country,  and  they  went  away  much  gratified. 

"In  my  former  relation,    most  catholic  sire,  I  in- 


230  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

formed  your  majesty  that,  at  the  time  when  the  In- 
dians defeated  me,  and  first  drove  us  out  of  the  city 
of  Tenochtitlan,  all  the  provinces  subject  to  that  city 
rebelled  against  your  majesty  and  made  war  upon  us; 
and  your  majesty  will  see,  by  this  relation,  how  we 
have  reduced  to  your  royal  service  most  of  the  prov- 
inces that  proved  rebellious. 

"As  the  city,"  he  continues,  "of  Tenochtitlan  was 
a  place  of  great  celebrity  and  distinction,  and  ever 
memorable,  it  appeared  to  me  that  it  would  be  well 
to  build  another  town  upon  its  ruins.  1  therefore  dis- 
tributed the  ground  among  the  proposed  inhabitants, 
and  appointed  alcaldes  and  regidores  in  the  name  of 
your  majesty,  according  to  the  custom  of  your 
realms;  and  while  the  houses  were  going  up,  we  de- 
termined to  abide  in  the  city  of  Cuyoacan,  where  we 
at  present  are.  It  is  now  four  or  five  months  since 
the  rebuilding  of  the  city  was  commenced,  and  it  is  al- 
ready very  handsome.  Your  majesty  may  be  assured 
that  it  will  go  on  increasing  to  such  a  degree  that,  as 
it  was  formerly  the  capital  and  mistress  of  all  these 
provinces,  it  will  still  be  so  hereafter.  It  is  built  so 
far  and  will  be  completed  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
render  the  Spaniards  strong  and  secure,  greatly  supe- 
rior to  the  natives,  and  wholly  unassailable  by  them." 

The  power  of  Cortez  was  now  unlimited.  The 
whole  native  population  was  virtually  his  slaves.  He 
had  the  address  to  secure  the  friendly  co-operation  of 


CONQUEST  CONSUMMATED      231 

the  principal  chiefs,  and  the  Indians,  in  any  numbers 
which  he  required,  were  driven  by  them  to  their  re- 
luctant toil.  The  Spaniards  assumed  the  office  of 
overseers,  while  the  natives  performed  all  the  menial 
and  painful  labor.  Timber  was  cut  and  dragged  by 
the  men  of  burden  from  the  adjacent  forests,  and 
from  the  ruins  of  Tenochtitlan  the  new  and  beautiful 
city  of  Mexico  rose  as  by  magic. 

Charles  V.,  King  of  Spain  and  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many, was  overwhelmed  by  the  cares  of  his  enor- 
mous empire.  The  scenes  transpiring  far  away  in 
the  wilderness  of  the  New  World,  important  as  they 
were,  could  claim  but  a  small  share  of  his  attention. 
Velasquez  succeeded  in  gaining  very  influential  friends 
at  court,  and  plied  all  his  energies,  with  untiring 
diligence,  to  secure  the  disgrace  of  Cortez.  Pride, 
ambition,  and  revenge  alike  inspired  him  to  work,  if 
possible,  the  ruin  of  the  bold  adventurer  who  had 
set  his  power  at  defiance.  The  sovereign  was  at  this 
time  in  Germany,  and  the  reigns  of  government  in 
Spain  were  temporarily  placed  in  the  hands  of  Adrian, 
who  had  been  private  tutor  of  the  emperor. 

Influenced  by  the  coadjutors  of  Velasquez,  Adrian 
issued  a  warrant,  signed  at  Burgos  on  the  nth  of 
April,  1 52 1,  which,  after  recapitulating  the  offenses  of 
which  Cortez  had  been  guilty  against  the  majesty  of 
the  Spanish  government,  appointed  a  commissioner  to 
repair  to  Mexico,  seize  the  person  of  Cortez,  suspend 


232  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

him  from  his  functions,  sequestrate  his  property,  and 
bring  him  to  trial  upon  the  weighty  charges  con- 
tained in  the  indictment. 

The  accomplishment  of  a  task  so  difficult  required 
a  man  of  consummate  tact  and  energy;  but,  unfortu- 
nately, the  agent  selected  was  totally  unqualified  for 
his  task.  Christoval  de  Tapia,  the  appointed  com- 
missioner, was  a  feeble,  fussy  old  man,  a  govern- 
ment inspector  of  metals  in  Saint  Domingo.  He 
landed  at  Vera  Cruz  in  December,  with  his  commis- 
sion in  his  hand.  The  authorities  there,  quite  de- 
voted to  Cortez,  and  fully  aware  that  in  his  fall  their 
fortunes  must  also  decay,  threw  every  obstacle  in 
their  power  in  the  path  of  Tapia.  They  disputed  his 
credentials  and,  by  innumerable  embarrassments,  pre- 
vented him  from  entering  the  interior. 

Cortez,  on  the  other  hand,  while  cordially  accept- 
ing this  important  co-operation  on  the  part  of  his 
friends,  the  more  valuable  since  it  did  not  involve 
him  in  any  responsibility,  wrote  to  Tapia  a  letter  full 
of  expressions  of  courtesy,  and  of  veneration  for  the 
authority  of  the  emperor.  The  imbecile  old  man  soon 
became  entangled  in  a  labyrinth  of  diplomacy  from 
which  he  knew  not  how  to  extricate  himself.  He 
had  not  sufficient  force  of  character  to  cut  the  tangled 
threads.  It  is  said  that  every  one  has  his  weak  point. 
Love  of  money  was  the  great  frailty  of  Tapia.  United 
with  this  there  was  great  timidity  of  character.     Cor- 


CONQUEST  CONSUMMATED      233 

tez,  with  his  accustomed  tact,  discovered  the  peculi- 
arities of  the  man,  and,  with  his  habitual  adroitness, 
assailed  him  where  his  armor  was  weak.  The  old 
man's  fears  were  assailed  with  threats,  and  his  avarice 
was  approached  by  bribes,  and  he  very  soon  capitu- 
lated. Re-embarking  in  his  ship,  he  returned  to  His- 
paniola,  leaving  Cortez  in  undisputed  authority. 

This  affair  alarmed  Cortez  exceedingly.  The  ac- 
count which  he  himself  gives  of  it  in  his  dispatch  to 
the  emperor  is  so  curious  and  characteristic  of  the 
man,  that  we  must  give  it  in  his  own  words.  The 
dispatch  itself  will  be  more  interesting  and  valuable 
than  any  narrative  we  might  give  of  the  event.  Upon 
the  departure  of  Tapia,  Cortez  immediately  sent  dep- 
uties to  the  emperor  with  a  glowing  account  of  his 
new  discoveries  and  conquests,  with  many  rich  gifts, 
and  the  promise  of  immense  future  contributions.  He 
gave,  as  it  were  incidentally,  an  account  of  the  mis- 
sion of  Tapia,  explained  with  great  naivete  the  rea- 
sons of  its  failure,  and  implored  anew  that  he  might 
be  intrusted  with  the  government  of  the  wide  realms 
which  his  skill  and  the  valor  of  his  followers  had  at- 
tached to  the  Spanish  crown. 

"While  engaged  in  this  business,"  he  writes,  "I 
received  accounts  from  Vera  Cruz  of  the  arrival  at 
that,  port  of  a  ship,  in  which  came  Christoval  de  Ta- 
pia, smelting  inspector  in  the  island  of  Hispaniola. 
The  next  day  I  had  a  letter  from   him,  informing  me 


234  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

that  the  object  of  his  coming  to  the  country  was  to 
assume  the  government  of  it  by  your  majesty's  com- 
mand, and  that  he  had  brought  with  him  his  royal 
commission,  which  he  should  nowhere  exhibit  until 
ke  saw  us,  but  hoped  this  would  be  soon.  As,  how- 
ever, the  horses  he  had  brought  were  affected  by  the 
voyage,  he  was  not  able  to  set  out  immediately,  and 
begged  that  we  would  direct  how  the  interview 
should  take  place,  whether  by  his  coming  here,  or  by 
my  going  to  the  sea-coast. 

"As  soon  as  I  had  received  his  letter,  I  answered 
it,  saying  that  I  was  much  pleased  with  his  arrival; 
that  no  one  could  come  provided  with  an  order  from 
his  majesty  to  assume  the  government  of  these  parts 
with  whom  I  should  be  better  pleased,  both  on  ac- 
count of  the  acquaintance  that  existed  between  us, 
and  the  neighborly  intercourse  we  had  enjoyed  to- 
gether in  the  island  of  Hispaniola. 

"Tranquillity  not  being  firmly  established  in  this 
quarter,  and  any  novelty  being  likely  to  estrange  the 
natives,  I  begged  Father  Urrea,  who  has  been  present 
in  all  my  labors,  and  who  knew  well  the  situation  of 
affairs  to  the  present  moment,  and  by  whose  coming 
your  majesty's  service  has  been  promoted,  and  our- 
selves benefited  by  his  spiritual  teachings  and  coun- 
sels, to  undertake  the  task  of  meeting  the  said  Tapia, 
and  of  examining  the  orders  of  your  majesty.  Since 
he  knew  better  than  any  one  what  the  royal  interests, 


CONQUEST  CONSUMMATED      235 

as  well  as  those  of  this  country,  required,  I  requested 
that  he  would  give  such  directions  to  the  said  Tapia  as 
he  deemed  most  proper,  from  which  he  knew  I  would 
not  deviate  in  the  least  degree. 

"I  made  this  request  in  the  presence  of  your  maj- 
esty's treasurer,  who  joined  his  solicitations  to  mine. 
He  accordingly  departed  for  the  town  of  Vera  Cruz, 
where  the  said  Tapia  was;  and  in  order  that  suitable 
attentions  might  be  paid  to  the  inspector,  either  in 
the  town  or  wherever  they  should  meet,  1  dispatched 
with  the  father  two  or  three  respectable  persons  from 
my  companions,  and  when  they  had  gone  I  waited 
the  issue.  In  the  mean  time,  I  employed  myself  in 
regulating  the  affairs  of  my  command,  and  in  such  a 
way  as  best  to  promote  your  majesty's  interests,  and 
the  peace  and  security  of  these  parts. 

"In  ten  or  twelve  days  after,  the  magistrate  and 
municipal  authority  of  Vera  Cruz  wrote  me  that  the 
said  Tapia  had  exhibited  the  orders  of  your  majesty, 
and  of  your  governors  acting  in  the  royal  name, 
which  they  had  treated  with  all  suitable  reverence; 
but  that  as  to  the  execution  of  the  orders,  they  had 
answered  that,  since  the  most  of  the  government 
were  with  me,  having  been  concerned  in  the  siege  of 
the  city,  they  should  be  informed  of  them,  and  in  the 
mean  time  they  would  do  whatever  the  service  of 
your  majesty  and  the  good  of  the  country  required. 
This   answer,  they  added,  was   received   by   the   said 


236  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

Tapia  with  great  displeasure,  and  he  had  since  at- 
tempted some  scandalous  things. 

"Although  this  answer  occasioned  me  some  re- 
gret, I  answered  them,  and  begged  and  entreated  that 
they  would  look  chiefly  to  the  service  of  your  majesty, 
and  endeavor  to  content  the  said  Tapia,  giving  him 
no  occasion  for  making  a  disturbance;  and  that  I  was 
about  going  to  meet  him,  and  to  comply  with  what- 
ever your  majesty  commanded,  and  the  most  your 
service  required. 

''As  1  was  now  preparing  to  depart,  the  members 
of  the  council  entreated  me,  with  many  protestations, 
not  to  go,  as  all  this  province  of  Mexico,  having  been 
but  a  short  time  reduced,  might  revolt  in  my  ab- 
sence, whence  much  injury  would  be  done  to  your 
majesty's  service,  and  great  disturbance  caused  in  the 
country.  They  also  urged  many  other  arguments  and 
reasons  why  it  was  inexpedient  for  me  to  leave  the 
city  at  present;  and  added  that  they,  with  the  au- 
thority of  the  council,  would  go  to  Vera  Cruz,  where 
the  said  Tapia  resided,  examine  the  orders  of  your 
majesty,  and  perform  all  that  the  royal  service  de- 
manded. As  it  seemed  so  essential  to  our  safety  that 
the  said  councilors  should  go,  I  wrote  by  them  to 
Tapia  informing  him  of  what  had  passed,  and  that  I 
had  authorized  Gonsalvo  de  Sandoval,  Diego  de  Soto, 
and  Diego  de  Valdenebro,  who  were  then  in  the 
town   of  Vera  Cruz,    jointly  with  the   council  of  Vera 


CONQUEST  CONSUMMATED      237 

Cruz  and  the  members  of  the  other  town  councils,  to 
see  and  perform  whatever  the  service  of  your  majesty 
and  the  good  of  the  country  required. 

"When  they  reached  the  place  where  the  said 
Tapia  was,  who  had  already  set  out  on  his  journey 
to  this  city,  accompanied  by  Father  Pedro,  they  re- 
quested him  to  return,  and  all  went  together  to  the 
city  of  Zempoalla,  where  Christoval  de  Tapia  pre- 
sented your  majesty's  orders,  which  all  received  with 
the  respect  due  to  your  majesty.  In  regard  to  their 
execution,  they  said  that  they  asked  some  delay  of 
your  majesty  as  demanded  by  the  royal  interests,  for 
causes  and  reasons  contained  in  their  petition,  and 
more  fully  set  forth  therein.  After  some  other  acts 
and  proceedings  between  the  inspector  Tapia  and  the 
deputies,  he  embarked  in  his  own  ship,  as  he  had 
been  requested  to  do,  since  from  his  remaining,  and 
having  published  that  he  had  come  as  governor  and 
captain  of  these  parts,  there  would  have  been  dis- 
turbances. 

"The  coming  of  the  said  Tapia,  and  his  want  of 
knowledge  respecting  the  country  and  its  inhabitants, 
had  already  excited  sedition,  and  his  stay  would  have 
led  to  serious  evils  if  God  had  not  interposed  to  pre- 
vent it.  Much  greater  service  would  have  been  ren- 
dered to  your  majesty  if,  while  he  was  in  the  island 
of  Hispaniola,  instead  of  coming  hither,  he  had  first 
advised  with  your  majesty.     The  said  Tapia  had  been 


238  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

often  advised  by  the  admiral,  judges,  and  other  offi- 
cials of  your  majesty  residing  in  the  island  of  Hispaniola 
not  to  come  into  these  parts  until  your  majesty  had 
first  been  informed  of  all  that  had  taken  place  here, 
and  on  this  account  they  had  prohibited  his  coming 
under  certain  penalties,  which  prohibition,  however, 
by  means  in  his  power,  looking  more  at  his  indi- 
vidual interest  than  the  service  of  your  majesty,  he 
had  succeeded  in  getting  removed. 

"I  have  prepared  this  account  of  every  thing  in 
relation  to  this  matter  for  your  majesty,  because, 
when  the  said  Tapia  departed,  neither  the  deputies 
nor  myself  drew  up  any  statement,  as  he  would  not 
have  been  a  suitable  bearer  of  our  letters;  and  also 
that  your  majesty  may  see  and  believe  that,  by  not 
receiving  the  said  Tapia,  your  majesty  was  well 
served,  as  will  be  more  fully  established  whenever  it 
shall  be   necessary." 

While  thus  engaged,  Cortez  received  intelligence 
that  the  province  of  Panuco  was  in  a  state  of  insur- 
rection. As  most  of  his  captains  were  absent  on 
various  expeditions,  he  promptly  placed  himself  at  the 
head  of  a  force  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  horsemen, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  infantry,  and  ten  thousand  Mex- 
icans, and  marched  to  inflict  such  punishment  upon 
the  rebels  as  should  intimidate  all  others  from  a  sim- 
ilar attempt. 

The  two  hostile  bodies   soon   met.     According   to 


CONQUEST  CONSUMMATED      239 

the  estimate  of  the  Spaniards,  the  number  of  the  enemy 
amounted  to  above  seventy  thousand  warriors.  "But 
k  was  God's  will,"  the  historian  records,  "that  we 
should  obtain  a  victory,  with  such  a  slaughter  of  the 
rebels  as  deprived  them  of  all  thought  of  making  any 
head  for  the  present."  Cortez  ravaged  the  country, 
mercilessly  crushing  all  who  offered  the  slightest  re- 
sistance. Having  thus  quenched  in  blood  the  flicker- 
ing flame  of  independence,  he  returned  victorious  to 
the  metropolis. 

Here  he  was  informed  that  some  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  neighboring  mountains  had  manifested  a  restive 
spirit,  and  had  caused  disturbance  in  other  peaceable 
districts.  Sternly  he  marched  to  chastise  them.  The 
punishment  was  prompt  and  severe;  thousands  were 
shot  down,  and  their  chiefs  were  hanged.  "They 
were  punished,"  said  Diaz,  "with  fire  and  sword; 
and  greater  misfortunes  befell  them  when  Nuno  de 
Guzman  came  to  be  their  governor,  for  he  made  them 
all  slaves,  and  sold  them  in  the  islands." 

The  father  of  Cortez,  who  was  in  Spain,  and  who 
was  a  man  of  much  elevation  of  character,  now  came 
forward  to  aid  his  son  with  his  influence  at  court. 
Implacable  enemies  were  intriguing  against  the  bold 
Spanish  adventurer  in  the  court  of  Charles  V.,  who 
had  returned  from  his  long  absence  in  Germany,  and 
was  now  at  Madrid.  Don  Martin  Cortez  had  secured 
the    co-operation  of  a    powerful    nobleman,  the  Duke 


240  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

of  Bejar.  The  young  monarch,  bewildered  by  the  ac- 
cusations which  were  brought  against  Cortez  on  the 
one  hand,  and  by  the  defense  which  was  urged  upon 
the  other,  referred  the  whole  matter  to  a  commission 
specially  appointed  to  investigate  the  subject.  The 
charges  which  were  brought  against  him  were  serious 
and  very  strongly  sustained  by  evidence. 

1.  He  had  seized  rebelliously,  and  finally  destroyed, 
the  fleet  intrusted  to  him  by  Governor  Velasquez, 
whose  authority  he  was  bound  to  obey. 

2.  He  had  usurped  powers  in  contempt  of  the 
authority  of  his  lawful  sovereign. 

3.  He  had  made  war  upon  Narvaez,  who  had  been 
sent  with  full  authority  to  supersede  him,  and  had 
slain  many  of  his  companions.  He  had  also  refused 
to  receive  Tapia,  though  he  was  invested  with  the 
authority  of  the  crown. 

4.  He  had  cruelly,  and  in  dishonor  of  the  Spanish 
name,  put  Guatemozin  to  the  torture. 

5.  He  had  remitted  but  a  small  part  of  the  treas- 
ures obtained  to  the  crown,  squandering  vast  sums  in 
schemes  to  promote  his  own  aggrandizement. 

6.  His  whole  system  of  procedure  was  one  of 
violence,  extortion,  and  cruelty. 

It  was  urged  in  defense, 

I.  Two  thirds  of  the  cost  of  the  expedition,  nom- 


CONQUEST  CONSUMMATED      241 

inally  fitted  out  by  Velasquez,  were  defrayed  by  Cor- 
tez. 

2.  The  interests  of  the  crown  required  that  colonies 
should  be  established  in  Mexico.  Velasquez  was  in- 
vested with  power  to  traffic  only,  not  to  found  col- 
onies; consequently,  Cortez,  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duty,  was  bound  to  establish  colonies,  and  to  send 
to  the  crown  for  the  ratification  of  the  deed,  as  he 
had  done. 

3.  It  was  the  wish  of  Cortez  to  meet  Narvaez 
amicably;  but  that  commander,  assuming  a  hostile  at- 
titude, had  compelled  Cortez  to  do  the  same.  The 
treatment  of  Tapia  was  defended  as  in  the  dispatch 
which  Cortez  had  transmitted  to  the  emperor. 

4.  The  torture  of  Gautemozin  was  declared  to  have 
been,  not  the  act  of  Cortez,  but  of  one  of  his  officers, 
who  was  driven  to  it  by  the  clamors  of  the  soldiers. 

5.  It  was  clearly  proved  that  Cortez  had  trans- 
mitted more  than  one  fifth  of  the  treasure  obtained  to 
the  crown.  It  was  also  pretty  conclusively  proved 
that  his  administration  was,  in  general,  characterized 
by  far-reaching  sagacity. 

The  defense  was  triumphant.  Cortez  was  acquit- 
ted, his  acts  were  confirmed,  and  he  was  appointed 
governor,  captain-general,  and  chief  justice  of  the  im- 
mense empire  which  he  had  subjugated.  The  power 
with  which   he  was   invested    was  vast  —  almost   un- 

M.  of  H.— XV— 16 


a42  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

limited.  He  was  authorized  to  appoint  to  all  offices, 
civil  and  military.  He  could  also  banish  from  the 
country  any  persons  whose  conduct  should  be  dis- 
pleasing to  him.  A  large  salary  was  conferred  upon 
him,  that  he  might  maintain  the  splendor  becoming 
his  rank.  His  officers  were  richly  rewarded.  The 
emperor  even  condescended  to  write  a  letter  to  the 
little  army  in  Mexico  with  his  own  hand,  applauding 
the  heroism  of  the  soldiers  and  the  grandeur  of  their 
chieftain.  This  was  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  vic- 
tories of  Cortez.  The  depression  of  his  enemies  was 
equal  to  his  own  elation.  Velasquez  was  crushed  by 
the  blow.  He  survived  the  tidings  through  a  few 
months  of  gloom,  and  then  sank  into  the  grave,  the 
only  refuge  for  those  weary  of  the  world. 

When  the  envoys  arrived  in  Mexico  with  the  de- 
cision of  the  court,  they  were  received  with  universal 
rejoicing.  Every  soldier  of  Cortez  felt  that  his  fortune 
was  now  made.  But  their  intrepid  commander  was 
not  the  man  for  repose.  New  discoveries  were  to  be 
urged,  new  tribes  subjugated,  and  far-distant  regions 
explored.  Murmurs  loud  and  deep  soon  ascended 
from  the  disaffected,  who  now  wished  to  repose  from 
toil  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  wealth  and  honors. 
Here  is  a  specimen  of  their  complaints: 

"I  will  now  relate,"  says  Diaz,  "what  Cortez 
did,  which  I   call   very   unfair.     All  those  who   were 


CONQUEST  CONSUMMATED      243 

the  dependents  of  great  men,  who  flattered  him  and 
told  him  pleasing  things,  he  loaded  with  favors.  Not 
that  I  blame  him  for  being  generous,  for  there  was 
enough  for  all;  but  I  say  that  he  ought  to  have  first 
considered  those  who  served  his  majesty,  and  whose 
valor  and  blood  made  him  what  he  was.  But  it  is 
useless  detailing  our  misfortunes,  and  how  he  treated 
us  like  vassals,  and  how  we  were  obliged  to  take  to 
our  old  trade  of  expeditions  and  battles;  for,  though 
he  forgot  us  in  his  distribution  of  property,  he  never 
failed  to  call  upon  us  when  he  wanted  our  assistance. 
When  we  went  to  the  general  with  the  request  that 
he  would  give  us  some  part  of  the  property  which 
his  majesty  had  ordered  that  we  should  receive,  he 
told  us,  and  swore  to  it,  that  he  would  provide  for 
us  all,  and  not  do  as  he  had  done,  for  which  he  was 
very  sorry.  As  if  we  were  to  be  satisfied  with 
promises  and  smooth  words!" 

Cortez  had  a  very  effectual  way  of  escaping  from 
such  remonstrants.  He  immediately  dispatched  such 
men  as  were  troublesome  on  some  important  expe- 
dition, where  all  their  energies  of  mind  and  body 
would  be  engrossed  in  surmounting  the  difficulties 
which  they  would  be  called  to  encounter.  A  man 
by  the  name  of  Rangel,  who  had  some  considerable 
influence,  was  complaining  bitterly.  Cortez  immedi- 
ately decided  that  the  distant  province  of  the  Zapote- 


244  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

cans  was  in  a  threatening  attitude,  and  needed  look- 
ing after.  They  were  a  fierce  people,  dwelling 
among  almost  inaccessible  cliffs,  where  no  horse 
could  climb  and  no  artillery  be  dragged.  From  such 
an  enterprise  it  was  little  probable  that  the  trouble- 
some man  would  ever  return.  He  was  consequently 
honored  with  the  command  of  the  expedition.  For 
apparently  the  same  reason,  Bernal  Diaz,  whose  com- 
plaints we  have  just  read,  was  appointed  to  accom- 
pany the  detachment. 

The  forlorn  party  entered  boldly  the  defiles  of  the 
-mountains,  and  wading  through  marshes,  and  strug- 
gling through  ravines,  and  clambering  over  rocks, 
with  the  utmost  difficulty  and  peril  penetrated  the 
savage  region.  The  natives,  nimble  as  the  chamois, 
leaped  from  crag  to  crag,  whistling  an  insulting  de- 
fiance with  a  peculiarly  shrill  note,  with  which  every 
rock  seemed  vocal.  Stones  were  showered  down 
upon  them,  and  immense  rocks,  torn  from  their  beds, 
leaped  crashing  over  their  path.  Their  peril  soon 
became  great,  and  it  was  so  evidently  impossible  to 
accomplish  any  important  result,  that  they  abandoned 
the  expedition,  nearly  all  wounded,  and  many  having 
been  killed. 

During  the  period  of  four  years  Cortez  devoted 
himself  with  untiring  zeal  to  the  promotion  of  the  in- 
terests of  the  colony.  The  new  city  of  Mexico  rose 
rapidly,  with  widened  streets   and  with   many  build- 


CONQUEST  CONSUMMATED      245 

ings  of  much  architectural  beauty.  Where  the  mas- 
sive temple  once  stood,  dedicated  to  the  war-god  of 
the  Aztecs,  and  whose  altars  were  ever  polluted  with 
human  sacrifices,  a  majestic  temple  was  reared  for  the 
worship  of  the  true  God.  Cortez  erected  for  himself 
a  gorgeous  palace  fronting  on  the  great  square.  It 
was  built  of  hewn  stone.  All  the  houses  constructed 
for  the  Spaniards  were  massive  stone  buildings,  so 
built  as  to  answer  the  double  purpose  of  dwellings 
and  fortresses. 

The  zeal  of  Cortez  for  the  conversion  of  the  na- 
tives continued  unabated.  In  addition  to  the  spacious 
cathedral,  where  the  imposing  rites  of  the  Catholic 
Church  were  invested  with  all  conceivable  splendor, 
thirty  other  churches  were  provided  for  the  natives, 
who  had  now  become  exceedingly  pliant  to  the 
wishes  of  the  conqueror.  Father  Olmedo  watched 
over  the  interests  of  religion  with  great  purity  of  pur- 
pose and  with  unwearied  devotion  until  his  death. 
Twelve  Catholic  priests  were  sent  from  Spain.  Be- 
nighted as  they  were  in  that  dark  age,  the  piety  of 
many  of  these  men  can  hardly  be  questioned.  Cor- 
tez received  them  with  great  distinction.  Immediately 
upon  being  informed  of  their  arrival  at  Vera  Cruz,  he 
ordered  the  road  to  Mexico  to  be  put  in  order,  to 
render  their  journey  easy,  and  houses  to  be  furnished, 
at  proper  distances,  with  refreshments  for  their  ac- 
commodation.    The  inhabitants  of  all  the  towns  along 


246  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

their  route  were  ordered  to  meet  them  with  proces- 
sions and  music,  and  all  demonstrations  of  reverence 
and  joy.  As  they  approached  the  metropolis,  Cortez, 
at  the  head  of  a  brilliant  cavalcade,  which  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  vast  procession  bearing  crucifixes  and 
lighted  tapers,  set  out  to  receive  them.  The  Catholic 
missionaries  appeared  with  bare  feet  and  in  the  most 
humble  garb.  Cortez  dismounted,  and,  advancing  to 
the  principal  father  of  the  fraternity,  bent  one  knee 
to  the  ground  in  token  of  reverence,  and  kissed  his 
coarse  and  threadbare  robe.  The  natives  gazed  with 
amazement  upon  this  act  of  humiliation  on  the  part 
of  their  haughty  conqueror,  and  ever  after  regarded 
the  priests  with  almost  religious  adoration. 

When  conversion  consists  in  merely  inducing  men 
to  conform  to  some  external  ceremony,  while  the 
heart  remains  unchanged,  it  is  easily  accomplished. 
The  missionaries,  with  great  zeal,  embarked  in  the 
enterprise  of  establishing  the  Catholic  religion  in  every 
village  of  the  subjugated  empire.  They  were  emi- 
nently successful,  and  in  a  few  years  almost  every 
vestige  of  the  ancient  idolatry  had  disappeared  from 
Mexico. 

Cortez  did  every  thing  in  his  power  to  induce  the 
natives  to  return  to  the  capital.  He  introduced  the 
mechanic  arts  of  Europe,  and  all  the  industrial  imple- 
ments of  that  higher  civilization.     The   streets   were 


CONQUEST  CONSUMMATED      247 

soon  again  thronged  with  a  busy  population,  and  the 
Indian  and  the  Spaniard,  oblivious  of  past  scenes  of 
deadly  strife,  mingled  together  promiscuously  in  peace- 
ful and  picturesque  confusion. 

Many  colonies  were  established  in  different  parts 
of  the  country,  and  settlers  were  invited  over  from 
Old  Spain  by  liberal  grants  of  land,  and  by  many 
municipal  privileges. 

In  the  midst  of  these  important  transactions,  while 
Cortez  was  living  quietly  with  the  amiable  Marina, 
who  had  borne  him  a  son,  a  ship  arrived  at  Vera 
Cruz  bringing  Donna  Catalina,  the  wife  of  the  way- 
ward adventurer.  This  lady,  accompanied  by  her 
brother,  weary  of  the  solitude  of  her  plantation,  where 
she  had  now  been  left  for  many  years,  came  in  search 
*  of  her  unfaithful  spouse.  Cortez  made  great  preten- 
sions to  religion.  It  was  his  crowning  glory  that  he 
was  the  defender  of  the  faith.  It  would  have  been 
altogether  too  great  a  scandal  to  have  repudiated  his 
faithful  wife. 

"Cortez,"  says  Bernal  Diaz,  "was  very  sorry  for 
their  coming,  but  he  put  the  best  face  upon  it,  and 
received  them  with  great  pomp  and  rejoicing."  In 
three  months  from  this  time  the  unhappy  Donna 
Catalina  died  of  an  asthma.  Her  death  was  so  evidently 
a  relief  to  Cortez,  and  so  manifestly  in  accordance 
with  his   wishes,  that   many   suspicions  were  excited 


248  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

that  she  had  fallen  by  the  hand  of  violence.  Though 
Cortez  had  many  enemies  to  accuse  him  of  the  mur- 
der of  his  wife,  there  is  no  evidence  whatever  that 
he  was  guilty.  Cortez  had  many  and  great  faults, 
but  a  crime  of  this  nature  seems  to  be  quite  foreign 
to  his  character.  The  verdict  of  history  in  reference 
to  this  charge  has  been  very  cordially  Not  proven. 


CHAPTER    XI. 
The  Expedition  to  Honduras. 

The  natives  reduced  to  slavery. —  I,aws  and  institutions. —  Colony  at  Hondu- 
ras.—  Olid  wrecked  and  taken  prisoner. —  Cortez  starts  for  Honduras. — 
Diaz's  account. —  The  two  captives. —  Difficulties  to  be  encountered. — 
Marina  married  to  Xamariilo. —  Don  Martin  Cortez. —  Demonstrations  of 
homage. —  Complaints  of  Diaz. —  Scarcity  of  provisions. —  Energy  and 
forethought.— Construction  of  canoes. —  The  slough. —  Foraging  parties. 

—  The  tangled  wilderness. —  The  Indian  path. —  The  cannibal  chiefs. — 
Their  punishment. —  Hostile  attitude. —  The  soldiers  ravenous. —  Influ- 
ence of  the  priests. —  Care  for  the  officers. —  Plot  against  two  chiefs. — 
The  chiefs  executed. —  Their  heroism. —  Opinions  of  the  Spaniards. — 
Night  wanderings  —  Plenty  and  want. —  The  terrible  march. —  New  em- 
barrassments.—  Famine. —  They  reach  Taica. —  Humility  of  Diaz. — 
Cortez  finds  there  is  no  insurrection  to  be  quelled. —  Exploring  tour. — 
The  brigantines. —  Submission. —  Present  to  the  king. —  Disappoint- 
ment of  Cortez. —  The  dispatches. —  Bad  news. —  Report  of  the  death  of 
Cortez. —  Troubles  in  Spain. —  The  attempted  voyage.—  Fruitless  en- 
deavors to  recall  his  friends. —  Commissions. —  The  usurpers  imprisoned. 

—  Poor  health  of  Cortez. —  His  return  to  Mexico. 

The  great  object  of  the  Spanish  adventurers  was 
to  extort  gold  from  the  natives.  The  proud 
cavaliers  would  not  work,  and  the  natives 
were  not  willing  to  surrender  the  fruits  of  their  toil  to 
support  their  haughty  conquerors  in  splendor.  Cortez 
consequently,  though  reluctantly,  doomed  them  to 
slavery.  They  were  driven  by  the  lash  to  unpaid  toil. 
It  was  an  outrage  defended  only  by  the  despotic  as- 
sumptions  of  avarice.     The   Tlascalans,   however,    in 

(249) 


i^o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

acknowledgment  of  their  services  as  allies  of  the  Span- 
iards, were  exempt  from  this  degradation.  In  all 
#ther  parts  the  wretched  natives  toiled  under  their 
task-masters,  in  the  fields  and  in  the  mines,  urged  by 
the  sole  stimulus  of  the  lash.  The  country  thus  be- 
came impoverished  and  beggared,  and  masters  and 
slaves  sank  together. 

Cortez  had  now  reduced,  in  subjection  to  the 
crown  of  Spain,  an  extent  of  country  reaching  along 
the  Atlantic  coast  twelve  hundred  miles,  and  extend- 
ing fifteen  hundred  miles  on  the  Pacific  shore.  With 
energetic  genius  which  has  rarely  been  surpassed,  the 
conqueror  established  laws  and  institutions,  many  of 
them  eminently  wise,  for  this  vast  realm. 

Cortez  had  sent  one  of  his  captains,  Christoval  de 
Olid,  to  Honduras,  to  found  a  Spanish  colony  there. 
This  intrepid  man,  giddy  with  the  possession  of  vast 
power,  and  encouraged  by  the  success  with  which 
Cortez  had  thrown  off  his  dependence  upon  Velasquez, 
determined  to  imitate  his  example,  and  assert  inde- 
pendence of  all  authority  save  that  of  the  Spanish 
crown.  But  Cortez  was  the  last  man  to  allow  his 
authority  to  be  thus  trifled  with.  He  immediately 
sent  an  expedition  under  Francisco  Las  Casas,  with 
five  ships  and  a  hundred  veteran  Spanish  soldiers  to 
arrest  the  disobedient  officer.  With  pennants  flying, 
Las  Casas  sailed  from  Vera  Cruz,  and  was  rapidly 
borne  by  prosperous  gales  around  the  immense  prom- 


EXPEDITION  TO  HONDURAS     251 

ontory  of  Yucatan,  a  voyage  of  nearly  two  thousand 
miles,  to  the  bay  in  Honduras  named  the  Triumph  of 
the  Cross,  where  Olid  had  established  his  post.  Olid 
opposed  his  landing,  but,  as  many  of  his  soldiers 
chanced  to  be  absent  in  the  interior,  he  could  present 
no  effectual  resistance. 

After  a  short  battle,  Olid,  hoping  for  the  speedy 
return  of  his  absent  forces,  applied  for  a  truce.  Las 
Casas  weakly  consented;  but  that  same  night  a  tem- 
pest arose  which  wrecked  all  his  ships,  and  thirty  of 
the  crew  perished  in  the  waves.  Las  Casas  and  all 
the  remainder  of  his  party,  drenched  and  exhausted, 
were  taken  prisoners.  Olid  exulted  greatly  in  this 
unanticipated  good  fortune;  and,  considering  his  foe 
utterly  powerless,  released  the  men  upon  their  taking 
the  oath  of  allegiance  to  him,  and  retained  Las  Casas 
surrounded  with  the  courtesies  of  friendly  and  hos- 
pitable captivity.  After  a  time,  however,  Las  Casas 
succeeded  in  forming  a  conspiracy,  and  Olid  was 
seized  and  beheaded. 

Cortez  had  heard  of  the  wreck  of  the  ships.  No 
other  tidings  reached  him.  But  disaster  ever  added 
strength  to  his  energies.  Vigorously  he  fitted  out  an- 
other expedition  and  headed  it  himself.  Leaving  a 
strong  garrison  to  guard  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  ap- 
pointing two  confidential  officers  to  act  as  deputies 
during  his  absence,  he  prepared  to  march  across  the 
country,  a  perilous  journey  of  five   hundred   leagues, 


252  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

through  a  wilderness  of  mountains,  rivers,  lakes,  and 
forests.  Unknown  and  doubtless  hostile  tribes  peopled 
the  whole  region.  It  was  one  of  the  boldest  of  the 
many  bold  adventures  of  this  extraordinary  man.  He 
has  given  a  minute  narrative  of  the  march  in  a  dis- 
patch to  Charles  V.  Bernal  Diaz  also,  who  accom- 
panied the  expedition,  has  given  an  interesting  yet 
gossiping  recital  of  all  its  wild  adventures. 

It  was  on  the  12th  of  October,  1524,  that  Cortez 
commenced  his  march  almost  due  south  from  the  city 
of  Mexico.  His  force  consisted,  when  he  started  from 
Mexico,  of  about  one  hundred  Spanish  horsemen  and 
fifty  infantry,  together  with  about  three  thousand 
Mexican  soldiers.  Apprehending  that  Guatemozin  and 
the  cacique  of  Tacuba,  from  their  strong  influence 
over  the  natives,  might  excite  disturbance  during  his 
absence,  he  took  them  as  captives  with  him.  Several 
Catholic  priests  were  taken  to  conduct  the  services  of 
religion,  and  to  convert  the  heathen  tribes.  The  im- 
perial retinue,  for  Cortez  now  moved  with  the  pomp 
of  an  emperor,  was  conducted  on  the  grandest  scale 
the  time  and  the  occasion  would  admit.  A  large  herd 
of  swine  followed  the  army  a  day's  journey  in  the  rear. 
Most  of  the  food,  however,  was  to  be  collected  by 
the  way. 

By  the  aid  of  a  rude  map  and  Indian  guides,  Cor- 
tez designed  to  direct  his  steps  across  the  neck  of 
the   broad   peninsula   of  Yucatan   to   the   head   of  the 


EXPEDITION  TO  HONDURAS     253 

Bay  of  Honduras.  For  many  days  their  path  con- 
ducted along  a  low  and  marshy  country  intersected  by 
innumerable  streams.  Some  they  were  able  to  ford; 
over  others  their  ingenious  architects  would  speedily 
throw  a  bridge.  Occasionally  they  would  arrive  upon 
the  banks  of  a  stream  so  wide  and  deep  that  many 
days  would  be  employed  in  rearing  a  structure  over 
which  they  could  pass.  Cortez,  in  his  letter  to 
Charles  V.,  enumerating  the  difficulties  encountered, 
states  that  in  a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles  he 
found  it  necessary  to  construct  no  less  than  fifty 
bridges. 

The  amiable  Marina  accompanied  Cortez  on  this 
expedition,  since  her  services  were  very  essential  as 
interpreter.  But  Cortez  now,  having  buried  his  law- 
ful wife,  and  probably  looking  forward  to  some  more 
illustrious  Spanish  alliance  which  might  strengthen  his 
influence  at  court,  regarded  Marina  as  an  embarrass- 
ment. He  therefore  secured  her  marriage  with  a  Cas- 
tilian  knight,  Don  Juan  Xamarillo.  A  handsome  estate 
was  assigned  to  the  newly-married  couple  in  the  na- 
tive province  of  Marina,  through  which  the  expedi- 
tion passed  on  its  way  to  Honduras.  We  hear  of 
Marina  no  more.  Her  son,  Don  Martin  Cortez,  aided 
by  the  patronage  of  his  powerful  father,  became  one 
of  the  most  prominent  of  the  grandees  of  his  native 
land.  He  filled  many  posts  of  opulence  and  honor. 
At  last  he  was  suspected  of  treason  against  the  home 


254  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

government,  and  was  shamefully  put  to  the  torture 
in  the  Mexican  capital. 

As  Cortez  and  his  army  advanced  day  after  day 
through  provinces  where  his  renown  was  known, 
and  where  Spanish  adventurers  were  established,  he 
was  received  with  every  possible  demonstration  of 
homage.  Triumphal  arches  crossed  his  path.  Pro- 
cessions advanced  to  greet  him.  Provisions  were 
brought  to  him  in  abundance.  Bonfires,  with  their  bril- 
liant blaze,  cheered  the  night,  and  festivities,  arranged 
with  all  the  possible  accompaniments  of  barbaric 
pomp,  amused  him  by  day.  He  arrived  at  the  banks 
of  a  wide,  deep,  and  rapid  river.  To  his  great  grat- 
ification, he  found  that  the  natives  had  collected  three 
hundred  canoes,  fastened  two  and  two,  to  ferry  his 
army  across.  At  this  place  Bernal  Diaz  joined  the 
expedition.  Weary  of  the  hardships  of  war,  he  com- 
plains bitterly  that  he  was  compelled  again  to  un- 
dergo the  fatigues  of  an  arduous  campaign. 

"The  general  ordered,"  he  says,  "all  the  settlers 
of  Guacacualco  who  were  fit  for  service  to  join  his 
expedition.  I  have  already  mentioned  how  this  colony 
was  formed  out  of  the  most  respectable  hidalgos  and 
ancient  conquerors  of  the  country  and  now  that  we 
had  reason  to  expect  to  be  left  in  quiet  possession  of 
our  hard-earned  properties,  our  houses  and  farms,  we 
were  obliged  to  undertake  a  hostile  expedition  to  the 
distance  of  fifteen  hundred   miles,  and  which  took  up 


EXPEDITION  TO  HONDURAS     255- 

the  time  of  two  and  a  half  years;  but  we  dared  not 
say  no,  neither  would  it  avail  us.  We  therefore 
armed  ourselves,  and,  mounting  our  horses,  joined  the 
expedition,  making,  in  the  whole,  above  two  hundred 
and  fifty  veterans,  of  whom  one  hundred  and  thirty 
were  cavalry,  besides  many  Spaniards  newly  arrived 
from  Europe." 

But  as  they  marched  resolutely  along,  week  after 
week,  over  mountains,  through  morasses,  and  across 
rivers,  the  country  became  more  wild  and  savage,  the 
natives  more  shy,  and  provisions  less  abundant. 
Several  days  were  often  occupied  in  constructing  a 
bridge  to  cross  a  river.  Scouts  were  sent  out  upon 
either  wing  of  the  army  foraging  for  food.  The 
natives  fled  often  from  their  villages,  carrying 
their  food  with  them.  Famine  began  to  stare  them 
in  the  face.  Sickness  diminished  the  ranks,  and 
emaciate  men,  haggard  and  way-worn,  tottered  pain- 
fully along  the  rugged  ways. 

But  the  indefatigable  energy  and  wonderful  fore- 
sight of  Cortez  saved  the  army.  He  seemed  to  have 
provided  for  every  emergency  which  mortal  sagacity 
could  anticipate.  One  day  the  starving  army,  almost 
in  despair,  came  to  the  banks  of  a  large  river.  The 
broad  current  rolled  many  leagues  through  a  pathless 
wilderness,  and  emptied  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
The  army,  to  its  great  surprise,  found  fifty  large  ca- 
noes  in  a  little  sheltered  bay,  laden  with   provisions, 


256  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

and  awaiting  its  arrival.  The  river  was  the  Tabasco. 
At  its  mouth  there  was  an  important  Spanish  colony. 
Cortez  had  foreseen  the  want  at  that  point,  and  pro- 
vided the  timely  supply. 

After  resting  here  for  a  few  days  to  recruit,  the 
army  continued  its  march,  and  soon  came  to  a  river 
so  wide  and  deep  that  they  could  not  bridge  it. 
Here  they  remained  four  days,  while  every  skillful 
hand  was  employed  constructing  canoes.  It  then  re- 
quired four  days  more  for  the  immense  host  to  be 
paddled  across  in  these  frail  barks.  The  horses  swam 
after  the  boats,  led  by  halters.  Upon  the  other  side 
of  the  river  they  entered  upon  a  vast  swamp,  extend- 
ing for  many  leagues,  and  tangled  by  the  dense 
growth  of  the  tropics.  They  were  three  days  floun- 
dering through  this  dismal  slough,  the  horses  being 
most  of  the  time  up  to  their  girths  in  the  morass. 

From  this  gloomy  region  of  reptiles,  tormenting 
insects,  and  mire,  they  emerged  upon  a  fertile  coun- 
try, where  they  found  an  abundance  of  Indian  corn 
or  maize.  But  the  terrified  inhabitants  fled  at  their 
approach.  Foraging  parties  were,  however,  sent  out 
to  plunder  the  villages  of  their  stores.  They  did  this 
efficiently,  and  the  encampment  was  again  filled  with 
plenty.  After  a  halt  of  three  days,  the  soldiers,  hav- 
ing replenished  their  knapsacks  with  parched  corn, 
again  took  up  their  line  of  march.  Each  man  carried 
food  for  three  days.     Some  of  the  native  chiefs,  who 


EXPEDITION  TO  HONDURAS     257 

had  been  enticed  into  the  camp,  deceived  them  with 
the  assurance  that  in  three  days  they  would  arrive  at 
a  large  city,  where  they  would  find  every  needful 
supply.  They  soon  reached  the  banks  of  a  broad 
river,  deep  and  rapid.  It  required  three  days  to  con- 
struct a  bridge  to  cross  it.  The  knapsacks  were  now 
empty.  They  were  hungry  and  faint,  and  there  was 
no  food  to  be  obtained.  Painfully  the  famishing  men 
toiled  along  another  day,  eating  the  leaves  of  the 
trees,  and  digging  up  roots  for  food.  Some  poisonous 
quality  in  this  innutritious  diet  parched  their  lips  and 
blistered  their  tongues.  To  add  to  their  despair,  there 
was  no  longer  any  path,  and  the  dense  underbrush, 
with  tough  vines  and  sharp  thorns,  impeded  their 
march  and  lacerated  their  flesh.  The  trees  towered 
above  them  with  foliage  impenetrable  by  the  rays  of 
the  sun.  They  were  wandering  through  a  dark  and 
dismal  wilderness,  from  which  there  was  no  apparent 
outiet,  compelled  with  sword  and  hatchet  to  cut 
every  step  of  their  way  through  tangled  shrubs. 

Cortez,  guided  only  by  the  compass  and  a  rude 
Indian  map,  now  manifested  for  the  first  time  deep 
concern.  He  could  not  conceal  from  his  companions 
the  anxiety  which  oppressed  him,  for  his  army  was 
literally  starving.  He  was  overheard  to  say,  "If  we 
are  left  to  struggle  another  day  through  this  wilder- 
ness, I  know  not  what  will  become  of  us." 

Suddenly,  to   their  great  joy,  they  came   upon    an 

M.  of  H.— XV— 17 


158  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

Indian  path.  This  soon  conducted  them  to  a  village. 
The  inhabitants  had  fled,  but  the  Spaniards  found 
some  granaries  well  supplied  with  corn.  During  this 
terrible  march  of  seven  days,  many  perished  by 
fatigue  and  hunger.  It  was  also  discovered  that 
some  of  the  Mexican  chiefs,  in  their  extremity,  had 
seized  some  of  the  natives  whom  they  encountered, 
and  had  killed  and  eaten  them.  The  bodies  were 
baked,  in  accordance  with  their  cannibal  customs,  in 
ovens  of  heated  stones  under  the  ground. 

"Cortez,"  says  Bernal  Diaz,  "severely  reprehended 
all  those  concerned,  and  one  of  the  reverend  father 
Franciscans  preached  a  holy  and  wise  sermon  on  the 
occasion;  after  which,  by  way  of  example,  the  gen- 
eral caused  one  to  be  burned.  Though  all  were 
equally  guilty,  yet,  in  the  present  circumstances,  one 
example  was  judged  sufficient." 

After  a  few  days'  rest  the  army  again  resumed  its 
march,  but  pioneers  were  sent  in  advance  to  mark 
out  the  way.  Their  course  now  lay  for  many  leagues 
through  a  low  country,  abounding  in  lakes,  and  mias- 
matic marshes,  and  sluggish  rivers.  The  bayous  and 
lagoons  were  so  numerous  that  most  of  the  com- 
munication from  city  to  city  was  by  canoes.  The 
people  at  first  assumed  a  hostile  attitude,  but  soon, 
overawed  by  the  magnitude  of  the  force  of  Cortez, 
they  with  great  obsequiousness  furnished  him  with 
all   required    supplies.       Still,    it    was   an    exceedingly 


EXPEDITION  TO  HONDURAS     259 

difficult  region  for  the  army  to  traverse.  Many  days 
were  laboriously  employed  in  bridging  the  innumer- 
able streams.  One  wide  one  delayed  them  four  days, 
and  their  provisions  were  entirely  exhausted.  Diaz,  a 
man  of  tact  and  energy,  was  sent  with  a  strong 
party  to  forage  for  the  famished  camp.  He  returned 
in  the  night  with  a  hundred  and  thirty  men  of 
burden  heavily  laden  with  corn  and  fruit.  The  starv- 
ing soldiers,  watching  their  return,  rushed  upon  them 
like  wolves;  in  a  few  moments,  every  particle  of 
food  which  they  had  brought  was  devoured.  Cortez 
and  his  officers  came  eagerly  from  their  tents,  but 
there  was  nothing  left  for  them. 

But  even  in  this  strait,  when  the  soldiers  forgot 
entirely  their  generals,  and  even  refused  to  save  any 
for  them,  they  did  not  forget  their  spiritual  guides. 
Every  soldier  was  anxious  to  share  his  portion  with 
the  reverend  fathers.  It  speaks  well  for  these  holy 
men  that  they  had  secured  such  a  hold  upon  the 
affections  of  these  wild  adventurers.  Though  super- 
stition doubtless  had  its  influence,  there  must  also 
have  been,  on  the  part  of  the  priests,  much  self- 
denial  and  devotion  to  their  duties.  Diaz,  apprehen- 
sive of  the  scene  of  plunder,  had  concealed  at  a  short 
distance  in  the  rear  a  few  loads  for  the  officers, 
which,  he  says,  they  went  and  got,  with  great  grati- 
tude, when  the  soldiers  were  all  asleep. 

For  eight  weary  days  the   army  now  toiled  along, 


26o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

struggling  against  hardships  and  hunger.  Many  were 
sick,  many  died,  and  not  a  few,  in  despair,  deserted 
their  ranks,  and  endeavored  to  find  their  way  back 
to  Mexico.  Cortez,  knowing  full  well  the  heroism  of 
his  two  captives,  Guatemozin  and  the  cacique  of 
Tacuba,  was  now  very  apprehensive  that  they  might 
take  advantage  of  his  weakness,  incite  the  natives  to 
revolt,  and  thus  secure  his  destruction.  The  peril 
was  so  obvious  that  it  must  have  occurred  to  every 
mind.  The  Mexicans  knew  that  the  Spaniards  were 
now  in  their  power,  and  the  Spaniards  could  not 
deny  it. 

Under  these  circumstances,  Guatemozin  was  ac- 
cused of  having  entered  into  a  plot  to  assassinate  the 
Spaniards,  and  then  to  return  to  Mexico  and  rouse 
the  whole  native  population  to  arms,  and  drive  the 
invaders  from  the  country.  There  seems  to  have  been 
but  little  proof  to  substantiate  the  charge;  but  the  un- 
deniable fact  that  Guatemozin  could  now  do  this, 
excited  to  the  highest  degree  the  anxiety  of  the 
ever-wary  Cortez.  The  stern  conqueror,  acting  upon 
the  principle  that  the  end  justifies  the  means,  resolved 
to  escape  from  this  peril  by  the  death  of  his  imperial 
captive  and  the  Tacuban  lord.  Cortez  accused  them 
of  the  crime,  and,  notwithstanding  their  protestations 
of  innocence,  ordered  them  both  to  be  hung.  A 
scaffold  was  immediately  erected,  and  the  victims,  at- 
tended  by  priests,    were   led   out  to   their   execution. 


EXPEDITION  TO  HONDURAS     261 

Both  of  these  heroic  men  met  their  fate  with  dignity. 
As  the  monarch  stood  upon  the  scaffold,  at  the 
moment  of  his  doom  he  turned  to  Cortez  and  said, 

"I  now  find  in  what  your  false  promises  have 
ended.  It  would  have  been  better  that  I  had  fallen 
by  my  own  hands  than  to  have  intrusted  myself  in 
your  power.  Why  do  you  thus  unjustly  take  my 
life  ?    May  God  demand  of  you  this  innocent   blood." 

The  Prince  of  Tacuba  simply  said,  "I  am  happy 
to  die  by  the  side  of  my  lawful  sovereign." 

They  were  then  both  swung  into  the  air,  sus- 
pended from  the  branches  of  a  lofty  tree  by  the  road- 
side. There  are  many  stains  resting  upon  the  char- 
acter of  Cortez,  and  this  is  not  among  the  least. 
Diaz  records,  "Thus  ended  the  lives  of  these  two 
great  men;  and  I  also  declare  that  they  suffered  their 
deaths  most  undeservingly;  and  so  it  appeared  to  us 
all,  among  whom  there  was  but  one  opinion  upon 
the  subject,  that  it  was  a  most  unjust  and  cruel 
sentence." 

The  march  was  now  continued,  but  the  gloom 
which  ever  accompanies  crime  weighed  heavily  upon 
all  minds.  The  Mexicans  were  indignant  and  morose 
at  the  ignominious  execution  of  their  chiefs.  The 
Spaniards  were  in  constant  fear  that  they  would  rise 
against  them.  Even  Cortez  looked  haggard  and 
wretched,  and  his  companions  thought  that  he  was 
tortured   by  the    self-accusation   that   he   was   a   mur- 


262  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

derer.  Difficulties  were  multiplied  in  his  path.  Fam- 
ine stared  his  murmuring  army  in  the  face.  Sleep 
forsook  his  pillow.  One  night,  bewildered  and  dis- 
tracted, he  rose,  and  wandering  in  one  of  the  heathen 
temples,  fell  over  a  wall,  a  distance  of  twelve  feet, 
bruising  himself  severely,  and  cutting  a  deep  gash  in 
his  head.  Still  they  toiled  along,  occasionally  coming 
to  towns  where  there  were  granaries  and  abundance, 
and  again,  in  a  few  days,  as  they  could  carry  but 
few  provisions  with  them,  finding  themselves  in  a 
starving  condition.  Every  variety  of  suffering  seemed 
to  be  allotted  them.  At  one  time  they  arrived  upon 
a  vast  plain,  spreading  out  for  leagues,  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  extend,  without  a  bush  or  shrub  to  inter- 
cept the  sight.  A  tropical  sun  blazed  down  upon 
the  panting  troops  with  blistering  heat.  Many  deer, 
quite  tame,  ranged  these  immense  prairies.  At  an- 
other time  they  approached  a  large  lake  of  shallow 
water,  and  upon  an  island  in  its  center  found  a 
populous  town.  The  soldiers  waded  to  the  island 
through  the  clear  waters  of  the  lake.  They  found 
fishes  very  abundant,  and  again  had  a  plentiful  supply 
of  food. 

Thus  far  the  weather  had  been  fair;  but  now  it 
changed,  and  a  season  of  drenching  rains  commenced. 
Still,  the  band,  impelled  by  their  indomitable  leader, 
pressed  on.  They  now  entered  upon  a  very  extraor- 
dinary region,  where  for  leagues  they   toiled   through 


EXPEDITION  TO  HONDURAS     263 

dismal  ravines,  frowned  upon  by  barren  and  craggy 
rocks.  The  ground  was  covered  with  innumerable 
flint-stones,  peculiarly  hard  and  sharp,  which,  like 
knives,  pierced  the  feet  of  the  men  and  the  horses. 
In  this  frightful  march  nearly  every  horse  was  wounded 
and  lamed,  and  eight  perished.  Many  of  the  men 
also  suffered  severely.  The  difficulty  and  suffering 
were  so  great,  that  upon  emerging  from  this  rocky 
desert  the  army  was  assembled  to  return  solemn 
thanks  to  God  for  their  escape. 

But  now  they  encountered  new  embarrassments. 
The  streams,  swollen  by  the  rains,  came  roaring  in 
impetuous  torrents  from  the  mountains,  and  the  in- 
tervales and  the  widespreading  meadows  were  flooded. 
One  stream,  foaming  through  enormous  precipices, 
emitted  a  roar  which  was  heard  at  the  distance  of 
six  miles.  It  required  three  days  to  throw  a  bridge 
across  this  raging  mountain  torrent.  The  natives 
took  advantage  of  this  delay  to  flee  from  their  homes, 
carrying  with  them  all  their  provisions.  Again  famine 
threatened  the  camp.  This  was,  perhaps,  the  darkest 
hour  of  the  march.  The  horses  were  lame.  The 
men  were  bleeding,  and  wayworn,  and  gaunt.  Death 
by  starvation  seemed  inevitable.  "I  own,"  says  Diaz, 
"I  never  in  my  life  felt  my  heart  so  depressed  as 
when  I  found  nothing  to  be  had  for  myself  or  my 
people." 

Cortez,  however,  sent  out  some  very   efficient  for- 


264  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

aging  parties  in  all  directions.  Impelled  by  the  ener- 
gies of  despair,  the  detachment  succeeded  in  obtaining 
food.  This  strengthened  them  until  they  reached  a 
large  town  called  Taica,  where  they  again  rejoiced  in 
abundance.  The  rain  still  continued  to  fall  in  tor- 
rents, and  the  soldiers,  drenched  by  night  and  by  day, 
toiled  along  through  the  mire.  Even  Cortez  lost  his 
habitual  placidity  of  temper  and  began  to  complain. 
The  vain  and  gossiping  Diaz  would  not  have  his 
readers  unmindful  of  the  eminent  services  he  rendered 
in  these  emergencies.  With  much  affected  humility 
he  narrates  his  exploits. 

"Cortez,"  says  he,  "returned  me  thanks  for  my 
conduct.  But  I  will  drop  this  subject;  for  what  is 
praise  but  emptiness  and  unprofitableness,  and  what 
advantage  is  it  to  me  that  people  in  Mexico  should 
tell  me  what  we  endured,  or  that  Cortez  should  say, 
when  he  wanted  me  to  go  on  this  last  expedition, 
that,  next  to  God,  it  was  me  on  whom  he  placed  his 
reliance?" 

They  now  arrived  upon  the  banks  of  a  river  which 
led  to  the  sea-coast.  At  the  mouth  of  this  river  Olid 
had  established  one  of  his  important  settlements.  A 
march  of  four  days  was  required  to  reach  the  coast. 
Cortez,  who  was  entirely  ignorant  of  the  death  of 
Olid,  and  of  the  overthrow  of  his  power,  sent  forward 
scouts  to  ascertain  the  state  of  things,  as  it  was  his 
intention  to  fall  upon  Olid  by  surprise  at  night.     The 


EXPEDITION  TO  HONDURAS     265 

army  had  moved  slowly  down  the  stream,  feeding 
miserably  upon  nuts  and  roots.  The  scouts  returned 
with  the  intelligence  that  there  were  no  enemies  to 
be  met;  that  the  insurrection  was  entirely  quelled, 
and  the  colony,  consisting  of  several  scattered  settle- 
ments, was  in  perfect  subjection  to  the  authority  of 
Cortez.  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  the  feelings  with 
which  this  intelligence  was  received.  Cortez  must 
have  felt,  at  least  for  a  few  moments,  exceedingly 
foolish.  The  Herculean  enterprise  of  a  march  of  eight- 
een hundred  miles  through  a  pathless  wilderness, 
peopled  with  savage  foes,  where  many  hundreds  of 
his  army  had  perished  from  fatigue  and  famine,  and 
all  had  endured  inconceivable  hardships,  had  been 
utterly  fruitless.  It  had  been  what  is  sometimes  called 
a  wild-goose  chase,  upon  a  scale  of  grandeur  rarely 
paralleled. 

They  soon  arrived  at  a  half-starved  colony  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  consisting  of  forty  men  and  six 
women.  The  energies  of  Cortez  were,  however,  un- 
abated. Foraging  parties  were  sent  out  to  plunder 
the  natives,  which  was  done  pitilessly,  without  any 
apparent  compunctions  of  conscience,  as  the  hunters 
of  wild  honey  destroy  the  bees  and  rob  the  hives. 
Cortez  himself  set  out  with  a  strong  party  on  an  ex- 
ploring tour,  and  returned  after  an  absence  of  twenty- 
six  days,  sorely  wounded  in  the  face  from  a  conflict 
wMch   he  had  with   the    natives.      If  the    natives   as- 


266  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

sumed  any  attitude  of  resistance,  they  were  shot  like 
panthers  and  bears. 

Here  Cortez  built  two  brigantines,  and  sailed  along 
the  coast  some  three  hundred  miles  to  Truxillo.  He 
established  on  the  way,  at  Port  Cavallo,  a  colony,  to 
which  place  he  ordered  a  division  of  his  army  to 
march.  Others  of  the  troops  were  to  assemble  at 
Naco,  quite  an  important  town,  where  Olid  had  been 
executed.  Cortez,  upon  his  arrival  at  Truxillo,  which 
was  the  principal  establishment  of  the  colony  in  Hon- 
duras, was  received  by  the  colonists  with  great  dis- 
tinction. The  Indians  in  the  neighborhood  were 
immediately  assembled,  and  were  urged  to  acknowl- 
edge submission  to  the  King  of  Spain,  and  to  adopt 
the  Christian  religion.  With  wonderful  pliancy,  they 
acceded  to  both  propositions.  "The  reverend  fathers," 
says  Diaz,  "also  preached  to  the  Indians  many  holy 
things  very  edifying  to  hear."  From  this  place  Cortez 
sent  a  dispatch  to  the  King  of  Spain,  and  also  a  val- 
uable present  of  gold,  "taken,"  says  Diaz,  "in  reality 
from  his  sideboard,  but  in  such  a  manner  that  it 
should  appear  to  be  the  produce  of  .his  settlement." 

Cortez,  to  his  extreme  disappointment,  found  the 
country  poor.  There  was  no  gold,  and  but  little  food. 
Worn  down  by  anxiety  and  fatigue,  he  was  ema- 
ciated in  the  extreme,  and  was  so  exceedingly  feeble 
that  his  friends  despaired  of  his  life.  Indeed,  to  Cor- 
tez,   death    seemed    so    near,    that,    with    forethought 


EXPEDITION  TO  HONDURAS     267 

characteristic  of  this  enthusiast,  he  had  made  prepara- 
tions for  his  burial. 

One  day,  as  Cortez,  in  the  deepest  dejection,  was 
conversing  with  his  friends,  a  vessel  was  discerned  in 
the  distant  horizon  of  the  sea.  The  ship  had  sailed 
from  Havana,  and  brought  to  Cortez  dispatches  from 
Mexico.  He  retired  to  his  apartment  to  read  them. 
As  he  intently  perused  the  documents,  his  friends  in 
the  ante-chamber  heard  him  groan  aloud  in  anguish. 
The  tidings  were  indeed  appalling,  and  sufficient  to 
crush  even  the  spirit  of  Cortez.  For  a  whole  day  his 
distress  was  so  great  that  he  did  not  leave  his  room. 
The  next  morning  he  called  for  an  ecclesiastic,  confessed 
his  sins,  and  ordered  a  mass.  He  then,  somewhat 
calmed  by  devotion,  read  to  his  friends  the  intelligence 
he  had  received. 

It  was  reported  in  Mexico  that  the  whole  party 
which  had  entered  upon  the  expedition  to  Honduras 
had  perished.  Consequently,  all  the  property  of  the 
adventurers  had  been  sold  at  public  auction.  The 
funeral  service  of  Cortez  had  been  celebrated  with 
great  pomp,  a  large  part  of  his  immense  property 
having  been  devoted  to  defray  the  expenses.  The 
deputies  whom  Cortez  had  left  in  charge  of  the  gov- 
ernment had  quarreled  among  themselves,  and  two 
strong  parties  rising  up,  the  colony  had  been  dis- 
tracted by  civil  war  and  bloodshed.  Every  day  there 
was  fighting.     The  natives,  encouraged  by  these  disor- 


268  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

ders,  had  revolted  in  three  provinces.  A  force  which 
had  been  sent  to  quell  the  insurrection  had  been  at- 
tacked and  defeated. 

The  same  dispatches  also  contained  a  letter  from 
the  father  of  Cortez,  informing  him  that  his  enemies 
were  busy,  and  successful  in  their  intrigues  in  the 
court  at  Madrid,  and  that  two  very  important  colonies 
in  Mexico  had  been  wrested  from  his  command,  and 
placed,  by  order  of  the  king,  under  the  government 
of  others. 

Cortez  decided  to  return  immediately,  but  privately, 
to  Mexico.  His  enemies,  who  had  usurped  the  gov- 
ernment, had  given  out  that  he  was  dead.  Cortez 
was  apprehensive  that,  were  his  return  anticipated, 
he  would  be  waylaid  and  assassinated.  He  therefore 
made  arrangements  for  his  friends  to  return  by  land, 
while  he  privately  embarked  for  Vera  Cruz.  A  violent 
storm  arose,  with  head  winds,  and  the  vessel,  after 
struggling  a  few  days  against  the  gale,  was  compelled, 
with  shattered  rigging,  to  return  to  Truxillo.  Again, 
after  a  few  days,  the  vessel  weighed  anchor,  and  again 
it  was  compelled  to  return.  Cortez  now,  in  extreme 
debility  of  body  and  dejection  of  mind,  was  exceed- 
ingly perplexed  respecting  his  duty.  "He  ordered  a 
solemn  mass,"  says  Diaz,  "and  prayed  fervently  to 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  enlighten  him  as  to  his  future 
proceedings." 

He  now  decided  to  remain  in  Truxillo,  and  to  unite 


EXPEDITION  TO  HONDURAS     269 

Honduras  and  Nicaragua  into  a  colony  which,  in  ex- 
tent and  resources,  would  be  worthy  of  him.  He 
dispatched  messengers  with  all  speed  to  overtake  his 
friends,  who  had  undertaken  to  return  by  land,  and 
recall  them  to  Truxillo.  They,  however,  refused  to 
return.  Again  another  messenger  was  dispatched  to 
them  by  Cortez,  with  still  more  urgent  entreaties.  To 
this  they  replied  by  a  letter,  stating  very  firmly  that 
they  had  suffered  misfortunes  enough  already  in  fol- 
lowing him,  and  that  they  were  determined  to  go 
back  to  Mexico.  Sandoval,  with  a  small  retinue  on 
horseback,  took  this  answer  to  Cortez.  He  was  also 
commissioned  to  do  every  thing  in  his  power  to  per- 
suade Cortez  also  to  embark  again  for  Mexico. 

Though  thus  forsaken,  he  still  refused  to  leave 
Honduras.  Weakened  by  bodily  sickness,  which 
plunged  him  into  the  deepest  melancholy,  his  usual 
energies  were  dormant.  He,  however,  sent  a  confiden- 
tial servant,  named  Orantes,  with  a  commission  to 
Generals  Alvarado  and  Las  Casas,  who  had  returned 
from  Honduras  to  Mexico,  to  take  charge  of  the  gov- 
ernment and  punish  the  usurpers.  Orantes  performed 
his  mission  successfully.  The  people,  hearing  with 
joy  that  Cortez  was  safe,  rallied  around  the  newly- 
appointed  deputies,  and  the  prominent  usurpers  were 
seized  and  imprisoned  in  a  timber  cage.  Cortez  re- 
mained in  Honduras  until  he  received  intelligence  that 
the   disturbances    in    Mexico   were   quelled.     He   now 


270 


HERNANDO    CORTEZ 


decided  to  leave  the  government  of  Honduras  in  the 
hands  of  a  lieutenant,  and  to  return  to  Mexico.  His 
health,  however,  was  so  very  feeble  that  he  hardly 
expected  to  survive  the  voyage.  He  therefore,  before 
embarking,  confessed  his  sins,  partook  of  the  sacra- 
ment, and  settled  all  his  worldly  affairs. 

It  was  on  the  25th  of  April,  1526,  that  the  pale 
and  emaciate  adventurer,  accompanied  by  a  few  fol- 
lowers, embarked  on  board  a  brigantine  in  the  an- 
chorage at  Truxillo.  The  morning  was  serene  and 
cloudless,  and  a  fresh  breeze  filled  the  unfurled  sails. 
Rapidly  the  low  line  of  the  shores  of  Honduras  sank 
below  the  horizon,  and  Cortez  bade  them  adieu  for- 
ever. 


CHAPTER   XII. 
The  Last  Days  of  Cortez. 

The  party  are  obliged  to  put  into  Havana  for  repairs. —  Triumphal  march  to 
the  capital. —  Reception  at  Tezcuco. —  Enemies  at  work. —  Serious  charges. 

—  The  commissioners. —  Offers  of  courtesy. —  The  banquet. —  Unfortunate 
effects. —  Notice  for  complainants. —  Leon's  sudden  death.— Its  cause. — 

.  Aguilar's  administration. —  He  determines  to  return  to  Spain. — Recep- 
tion of  the  emperor. —  Marquis  of  the  valley. —  Captain  General. —  Cor- 
tez's  marriage. —  Envy  of  the  queen. —  He  embarks  for  New  Spain. —  Ef- 
fects of  displeasing  a  queen. —  Cortez's  abode. —  The  contrast. —  He  goes 
to  Cuarnavaca. —  Devotes  himself  to  industrial  interests. —  The  expedi- 
tions and  failures. —  Cortez  heads  another  party. —  Arrival  at  Santa  Cruz. 

—  The  fleet  returns. —  Disasters. —  Discontent. —  Search  for  the  vessels. — 
The  colonists  eat  too  voraciously. —  Cortez  resolves  to  replenish  his  re- 
sources.—  Departure  for  Spain. —  Neglect  and  disappointment. —  Letter 
to  the  emperor. —  Unavailing  appeal. —  The  will. —  His  bequests. —  An 
uneasy  conscience. —  Removal  to  Castilleja. —  Cortez's  death. —  His  fu- 
neral.—  The  removal  of  his  remains. —  Solemnities. —  The  monument 
erected  over  his  remains. 

For  a  few  days  a  fair  wind  bore  the  voyagers 
rapidly  forward  over  a  sunny  sea.  They  had 
arrived  nearly  within  sight  of  the  Mexican 
shore,  when  clouds  blackened  the  sky,  and  a  trop- 
ical tempest  came  howling  fiercely  upon  them.  The 
light  brigantine  was  driven  before  the  gale  like 
a  bubble,  and,  after  being  tossed  for  several  days 
upon  the  angry  deep,  the  voyagers  found  themselves 
near  the  island  of  Cuba,  and  were  compelled  to  en- 
ter the  harbor  of  Havana  for  repairs  and  supplies. 

(271) 


272  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

It  was  not  until  the  16th  of  May  that  they  were 
enabled  again  to  set  sail.  After  a  voyage  of  eight 
days,  Cortez  landed  near  St.  Juan  de  Ulua.  Here  he 
assumed  an  incognito,  and  proceeded  on  foot  fifteen 
miles  to  Medellin.  His  aspect  was  so  changed  by 
sickness  and  dejection  that  no  one  recognized  him. 
Here  he  made  himself  known,  and  was  immediately 
received  with  the  most  enthusiastic  demonstrations  of 
joy.  He  now  pressed  forward  to  the  capital  in  truly 
a  triumphal  march.  The  whole  country  was  aroused, 
and  processions,  triumphal  arches,  bonfires,  and  music, 
with  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  roaring  of  cannon, 
greeted  him  all  the  way.  The  natives  vied  with  the 
Spaniards  in  the  cordiality  of  their  welcome  and  in 
splendor  of  their  pageants. 

Arrangements  were  made  to  receive  him  at  the 
capital  with  a  triumphant  fete.  He  arrived  at  Tez- 
cuco,  on  the  borders  of  the  lake,  in  the  evening,  and 
there  passed  the  night.  It  was  now  the  lovely  month 
of  June.  The  sun  the  next  morning  rose  cloudless, 
and  smiled  upon  a  scene  of  marvelous  beauty,  em- 
bellished by  all  the  attractions  of  hills,  and  valleys, 
and  placid  waters.  The  lake  was  alive  with  the  dec- 
orated boats  of  the  natives,  and  the  air  was  filled 
with  the  hum  of  peace  and  joy.  Smiles  again  flitted 
over  the  wan  and  pallid  cheeks  of  Cortez  as  the 
shouts  of  the  multitude,  blending  v/ith  the  clarion  peals 
of  the  trumpet,  the  chime  of  bells,  and  the   thunders 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  CORTEZ     273 

of  artillery  fell  upon  his  ear.  He  immediately  repaired 
to  the  church  publicly  to  return  thanks  to  God  for  all 
his  mercies.  He  then  retired  to  his  magnificent  palace, 
and  again  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  government. 

The  enemies  of  Cortez  were  still  indefatigable  in 
the  court  of  Charles  V.,  and  they  so  multiplied  and 
reiterated  their  charges  that  the  emperor  deemed  it 
expedient  to  order  an  investigation.  He  was  charged 
with  withholding  gold  which  belonged  to  the  crown, 
of  secreting  the  treasures  of  Guatemozin,  of  defraud- 
ing the  revenues  by  false  reports,  and  of  surrounding 
himself  with  grandeur  and  power  that  he  might  as- 
sert independence  of  Spain,  and  establish  himself  in 
unlimited  sovereignty. 

A  commissioner,  Luis  Ponce  de  Leon,  was  accord- 
ingly sent  by  the  emperor  to  assume  the  government 
of  Mexico  temporarily,  and  to  bring  Cortez  to  trial. 
But  a  few  weeks  had  passed  after  Cortez  returned  to 
the  capital  before  this  messenger  arrived.  Cortez, 
surprised  by  his  sudden  appearance,  was  greatly  per- 
plexed as  to  the  course  he  should  pursue,,  The  in- 
telligence was  communicated  to  him  as  he  was  per- 
forming his  devotions  in  the  church  of  St.  Francis^ 
"He  earnestly,"  says  Diaz,  "prayed  to  the  Lord  to 
guide  him  as  seemed  best  to  his  holy  wisdom,  and, 
on  coming  out  of  the  church,  sent  an  express  to 
bring  him  information  of  ail  particulars." 

After  much  painful  deliberation,  Cortez  decided  to 

'    M.  of  H.- XV— 18 


274  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

receive  the  royal  commissioner  with  apparent  courtesy 
and  submission.  He  sent  to  him  a  friendly  message, 
wishing  to  know  which  of  two  roads  he  intended  to 
take  on  his  approach  to  the  capital,  that  he  might  be 
met  and  greeted  with  suitable  honors.  The  friends 
of  Leon  cautioned  him  to  be  on  his  guard,  for  they 
assured  him  that  Cortez  would,  if  possible,  secure  his 
assassination.  Leon  warily  sent  word  that,  fatigued 
by  his  voyage,  he  should  not  immediately  visit  the 
capital,  but  should  rest  for  a  time.  Having  dispatched 
this  message,  he  immediately  mounted  his  horse,  and, 
with  his  retinue,  commenced  his  journey.  The  vigi- 
lant officer  of  Cortez,  however,  met  him  at  Iztapalapan. 
A  sumptuous  banquet  was  prepared,  and  some  de- 
licious cheese-cakes  were  placed  upon  the  table.  All 
who  ate  of  the  cheese-cakes  were  taken  sick,  and  it 
was  reported  far  and  wide  that  Cortez  had  attempted 
to  poison  Leon  with  arsenic.  There  is  no  proof  that 
Cortez  was  guilty.  The  circumstances  alone,  as  we 
have  stated  them,  awakened  suspicion.  These  suspi- 
cions were  fearfully  increased  by  unfortunate  events, 
to  which  we  shall  soon  allude. 

Leon  arrived  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  in  the 
presence  of  all  the  civil  and  military  officers  produced 
his  authority  from  the  emperor,  Charles  V.,  to  assume 
the  governorship  of  the  colony,  and  to  bring  Cortez 
to  trial.  The  humbled  and  wretched  conqueror  kissed 
the  document  in  token  of  submission- 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  CORTEZ     275 

Leon  now  issued  public  notice  that  all  who  had 
complaints  to  bring  against  the  administration  of 
Cortez  should  produce  them.  A  host  of  enemies  — 
for  all  men  in  power  must  have  enemies  —  immedi- 
ately arose.  The  court  was  flooded  with  accusations 
without  number.  Just  as  Leon  was  opening  the  court 
to  give  a  hearing  to  these  charges,  he  was  seized 
with  a  sudden  and  a  mysterious  sickness.  After  ly- 
ing in  a  state  of  lethargy  for  four  days,  he  died.  In  a 
lucid  moment,  he  appointed  an  officer  named  Aguilar, 
who  had  accompanied  him  from  Castile,  as  his  suc- 
cessor. "What  malignities  and  slanders,"  exclaims 
Diaz,  "were  now  circulated  against  Cortez  by  his 
enemies  in  Mexico!"  The  faithful  historian,  however, 
affirms  that  Leon  died  of  what  is  now  called  the  ship 
fever.  Notwithstanding  all  these  unfortunate  appear- 
ances, it  is  generally  believed  that  Cortez  was  not 
abetting  in  his  death. 

Aguilar  was  a  weak  and  infirm  old  man,  so  in- 
firm that  "he  was  obliged  to  drink  goat's  milk,  and 
to  be  suckled  by  a  Castilian  woman  to  keep  him 
alive."  This  decrepit  septuagenarian  could  accomplish 
nothing,  and  after  a  vacillating  and  utterly  powerless 
administration  of  eight  months,  during  which  time 
the  influence  of  Cortez  was  continually  increasing,  he 
died.  The  treasurer,  Estrada,  by  the  governor's  tes- 
tament, was  appointed  his  successor.  The  affairs  of 
the  colony  were  now  in   a  state  of  great  confusion. 


276  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

These  new  governors  were  imbecile  men,  totally  in- 
capable of  command.  The  popular  voice,  in  this 
emergency,  loudly  called  upon  Cortez  to  assume  the 
helm.  Estrada,  alarmed  by  this,  issued  a  decree  or- 
dering the  instant  expulsion  of  Cortez  from  the  city 
of  Mexico.  Cortez,  thus  persecuted,  resolved  to  re- 
turn to  Spain,  and  to  plead  for  justice  in  the  court 
of  his  sovereign.  At  the  same  time,  he  received  let- 
ters informing  him  of  the  death  of  his  father,  and  of 
the  renewed  activity  of  his  enemies  at  court. 

Purchasing  two  ships,  he  stored  them  with  a  great 
abundance  of  provisions,  and  by  a  proclamation  of- 
fered a  free  passage  to  any  Spaniard  who  could  ob- 
tain permission  from  the  governor  to  return  to  Spain. 
After  a  voyage  of  forty  days  he  landed  on  the 
shores  of  his  country,  at  the  little  port  of  Palos,  in 
the  month  of  December,  1527.  Cortez  immediately 
sent  an  express  to  his  majesty,  informing  him  of  his 
arrival.  In  much  state  he  traveled  through  Seville 
and  Guadaloupe  to  Madrid,  winning  golden  opinions 
all  the  way  by  his  courtly  manners  and  his  profuse 
liberality. 

Upon  his  arrival  at  Madrid,  he  was  received  by 
the  emperor  with  great  courtesy.  Cortez  threw  him- 
self at  the  feet  of  his  majesty,  enumerated  the  services 
he  had  performed,  and  vindicated  himself  from  the 
aspersions  of  his  enemies.  The  monarch  seemed  sat- 
isfied, ordered  him  to  rise,  and  immediately  conferred 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  CORTEZ     277 

upon  him  the  title  of  Marquis  of  the  Valley,  with  a 
rich  estate  to  support  the  dignity.  Cortez  fell  sick, 
and  the  emperor  honored  him  with  a  visit  in  person. 
Many  other  marks  of  the  royal  favor  Cortez  received, 
which  so  encouraged  him  that  he  began  to  assume 
haughty  airs,  and  applied  to  the  emperor  that  he 
might  be  appointed  governor  of  New  Spain.  The 
emperor  was  displeased,  declined  giving  him  the  ap- 
pointment, and  a  coldness  ensued.  Cortez,  however, 
at  length  regained  some  favor,  and  obtained  the  title 
of  Captain  General  of  New  Spain,  with  permission  to 
fit  out  two  ships  on  voyages  of  discovery  to  the 
south  seas.  He  was  also  entitled  to  receive,  as 
proprietor,  one  twelfth  of  the  lands  he  should  dis- 
cover, and  to  rule  over  the  countries  he  might 
colonize. 

Cortez  was  now  a  man  of  wealth  and  renown. 
His  manners  were  highly  imposing,  his  conversation 
was  rich  and  impressive,  and  his  favor  at  court  gave 
him  a  vast  influence.  His  income  amounted  to  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars  a  year. 
There  was  no  family  in  Spain  which  would  not  have 
felt  honored  by  his  alliance,  and  when  he  sought  the 
hand  of  the  young,  beautiful,  and  accomplished  niece 
of  the  Duke  of  Bejar,  his  addresses  were  eagerly  ac- 
cepted. The  storm-worn  yet  still  handsome  cavalier 
led  to  the  altar  his  blushing  bride  so  glittering  with 
brilliant  jewels,  cut  by  the  exquisite  workmanship  of 


278  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

the  Aztecs,  as  to  excite   the  envy  even  of  the   queen 
of  Charles  V. 

Cortez  soon  became  weary  of  a  life  of  idleness 
and  luxury,  and  longed  again  for  the  stirring  adven- 
tures of  the  New  World.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1530. 
he  again  embarked,  with  his  wife  and  mother,  for 
New  Spain.  With  his  characteristic  zeal  for  the  con- 
version of  the  natives,  he  took  with  him  twelve 
reverend  fathers  of  the  Church.  After  a  short  tarry 
at  Hispaniola,  he  landed  at  Vera  Cruz  on  the  15th  of 
July.  As  it  was  feared  that  Cortez  might  interfere 
with  the  government  of  the  country,  the  Queen  of 
Spain,  who  was  quite  displeased  that  the  wife  of  Cor- 
tez wore  more  brilliant  jewels  than  she  possessed, 
had  issued  an  edict  prohibiting  Cortez  from  approach- 
ing within  thirty  miles  of  the  Mexican  capital.  He 
accordingly  established  himself  at  one  of  his  country 
estates,  on  the  eastern  shores  of  the  lake.  His  re- 
nown gave  him  vast  influence.  From  all  parts  of  the 
country  crowds  flocked  to  greet  him.  With  regal 
pomp  he  received  his  multitudinous  guests,  and  his 
princely  residence  exhibited  all  the  splendors  of  a 
court.  Most  of  the  distinguished  men  of  the  city  of 
Mexico  crossed  the  lake  to  Tezcuco  to  pay  homage 
to  the  conqueror  of  Mexico.  The  governor  was  so 
annoyed  by  the  mortifying  contrast  presented  by  his 
own  deserted  court,  that  he  despotically  imposed  a 
fine  upon  such  of  the  natives  of  the  city  as  should  be 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  CORTEZ     279 

found  in  Tezcuco,  and,  affecting  to  apprehend  a  trea- 
sonable attack  from  Cortez,  made  ostentatious  prepa- 
rations for  the  defense  of  the  capital. 

For  a  long  time  there  was  an  incessant  and  petty 
conflict  going  on  between  Cortez  and  the  jealous 
government  of  the  colony.  At-  last,  Cortez  became  so 
annoyed  by  indignities  which  his  haughty  spirit 
keenly  felt,  that  he  withdrew  still  farther  from  the 
capital,  to  the  city  of  Cuarnavaca,  which  was  situated 
upon  the  southern  slope  of  the  Cordilleras.  This  was 
the  most  beautiful  and  opulent  portion  of  that  wide 
domain  which  the  energy  of  Cortez  had  annexed  to 
the  Spanish  crown.  Here  the  conqueror  had  erected 
for  himself  a  magnificent  palace  in  the  midst  of  his 
vast  estates.  The  ruins  of  the  princely  mansion  still 
remain  upon  an  eminence  which  commands  a  wide 
extent  of  landscape  of  surpassing  loveliness.  Cortez 
devoted  himself  with  characteristic  energy  to  promot- 
ing the  agricultural  and  industrial  interests  of  the 
country.  Thousands  of  hands  were  guided  to  the 
culture  of  hemp  and  flax.  Sugar-mills  were  reared, 
and  gold  and  silver  mines  were  worked  with  great 
success.  Cortez  thus  became  greatly  enriched,  but  his 
adventurous  spirit  soon  grew  weary  of  these  peaceful 
labors. 

In  the  year  1532,  Cortez,  at  a  large  expense,  fitted 
out  an  expedition,  consisting  of  two  ships,  to  explore 
the  Pacific  Ocean  in  search  of  new  lands.     The  ships 


28o  HERNANDO    CORTEZ 

sailed  from  the  port  of  Acapulco,  but,  to  the  bitter 
disappointment  of  Cortez,  the  enterprise  was  entirely 
unsuccessful.  The  crew  mutinied,  and  took  posses- 
sion of  one  of  the  ships,  and  the  other  probably  foun- 
dered at  sea,  for  it  was  never  again  heard  from. 

But  the  Marquis  of  the  Valley,  with  his  indom- 
itable spirit  of  energy  and  perseverance,  fitted  out  an- 
other expedition  of  two  ships.  This  adventure  was 
as  disastrous  as  the  other.  The  two  captains  quar- 
reled, and  took  occasion  of  a  storm  to  separate,  and 
did  not  again  join  company.  The  southern  extremity 
of  the  great  peninsula  of  California  was,  however,  dis- 
covered by  one  of  the  ships.  Here,  at  a  point  which 
they  called  Santa  Cruz,  a  large  part  of  the  ship's  com- 
pany was  massacred  by  the  savages.  The  storm- 
battered  ships  eventually  returned,  having  accom- 
plished nothing. 

Cortez,  still  undismayed,  prepared  for  another  at- 
tempt. He  now,  however,  resolved  to  take  command 
of  the  ships  himself.  His  celebrity  induced  adven- 
turers from  all  quarters  to  seek  to  join  the  expedition. 
Three  ships  were  launched  upon  the  bay  of  Tehuan- 
tepec.  Many  men  crowded  on  board,  with  their  fam- 
ilies, to  colonize  the  new  lands  which  should  be  dis- 
covered. More  than  twice  as  many  adventurers  as 
the  ships  could  carry  thronged  the  port,  eager  to 
embark  in  the  enterprise.  In  the  month  of  May, 
1537,  the  squadron   set  sail   upon  the  calm   surface  of 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  CORTEZ     281 

the  Pacific,  the  decks  being  crowded  with  four  hun- 
dred Spaniards  and  three  hundred  slaves.  About  an 
equal  number  were  left  behind,  to  be  sent  for  as 
soon  as  the  first  party  should  be  landed  at  the  port 
of  their  destination. 

Sailing  in  a  northwesterly  direction,  favorable 
winds  drove  them  rapidly  across  the  vast  Gulf  of 
California  until  they  arrived  at  Santa  Cruz,  on  the 
southern  extremity  of  that  majestic  peninsula.  A 
landing  was  immediately  effected,  and  the  ships  were 
sent  back  to  Mexico  to  bring  the  remaining  colonists. 
Cortez  did  not  take  his  wife  with  him,  but  she  was 
left  in  their  princely  mansion  on  the  southern  slope 
of  the  Cordilleras.  But  disasters  seemed  to  accumu- 
late whenever  Cortez  was  not  personally  present. 
The  ships  were  delayed  by  head  winds  and  by 
storms.  The  colonists  at  Santa  Cruz,  in  consequence 
of  this  delay,  nearly  perished  of  famine.  Twenty- 
three  died  of  privation  and  hunger.  At  .length,  in 
the  midst  of  general  murmurings  and  despair,  one 
of  the  ships  returned.  It  brought,  however,  but 
little  relief,  as  the  ships  which  were  loaded  with 
provisions  for  the  supply  of  the  colonists  were  still 
missing. 

The  discontent  in  the  starving  colony  became  so 
loud,  that  Cortez  himself  took  fifty  soldiers  and  em- 
barked in  search  of  the  missing  ships.  With  great 
care  he  cruised  along  the  Mexican  shore,  and  at  last 


282  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

found  one  stranded  on  the  coast  of  Jalisco,  and  the 
other  partially  wrecked  upon  some  rocks.  He,  how- 
ever, got  them  both  off,  repaired  them,  and  brought 
them,  laden  with  provisions,  to  the  half-famished  col- 
ony at  Vera  Cruz. 

The  imprudent  colonists  ate  so  voraciously  that  a 
fatal  disease  broke  out  among  them,  which  raged 
with  the  utmost  virulence.  Many  died.  Cortez  be- 
came weary  of  these  scenes  of  woe.  The  expedition, 
in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view,  had  been  a  total  failure, 
and  it  had  secured  for  the  conqueror  no  additional 
renown.  The  Marchioness  of  the  Valley,  the  wife  of 
Cortez,  became  so  anxious  at  the  long  absence  of  her 
husband,  that  she  fitted  out  two  ships  to  go  in  search 
of  him.  Ulloa,  who  commanded  these  ships,  was  so 
fortunate  as  to  trace  Cortez  to  his  colony.  Cortez 
not  unwillingly  yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  his  wife 
and  returned  to  Mexico.  He  was  soon  followed  by 
the  rest  of  the  wretched  colonists,  and  thus  disas- 
trously terminated  this  expedition. 

In  these  various  enterprises,  Cortez  had  expended 
from  his  private  property  over  three  hundred  thou- 
sand crowns,  and  had  received  nothing  in  return.  As 
he  considered  himself  the  servant  of  his  sovereign, 
and  regarded  these  efforts  as  undertaken  to  promote 
the  glory  and  the  opulence  of  Spain,  he  resolved  to 
return  to  Castile,  to  replenish,  if  possible,  his  ex- 
hausted   resources   from   the   treasury  of  the  crown. 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  CORTEZ     283 

He  had  also  sundry  disputes  with  the  authorities  in 
Mexico  which  he  wished  to  refer  to  the  arbitration  of 
the  emperor.  He  was  a  disappointed  and  a  melancholy 
man.  His  career  had  been  one  of  violence  and  of 
blood,  and  "his  ill  fortune,"  says  Diaz,  "is  ascribed 
to  the  curses  with  which  he  was  loaded." 

Taking  with  him  his  eldest  son  and  heir,  Don 
Martin,  the  child  of  Donna  Marina,  then  but  eight 
years  of  age,  and  leaving  behind  him  the  rest  of  his 
family,  he  embarked  in  1540  again  to  return  to  his 
native  land.  The  emperor  was  absent,  but  Cortez 
was  received  by  the  court  and  by  the  nation  with  the 
highest  testimonials  of  respect.  Courtesy  was  lav- 
ished upon  him,  but  he  could  obtain  nothing  more. 
For  a  year  the  unhappy  old  man  plead  his  cause, 
while  daily  the  victim  of  hope  deferred.  He  might 
truly  have  said  with  Cardinal  Wolsey, 

"  Had  I  but  served  my  God  with  half  the  zeal 
I  served  my  king,  he  would  not  in  mine  age 
Have  left  me  naked  to  mine  enemies." 

Cortez  soon  found  himself  neglected  and  avoided. 
His  importunities  became  irksome.  Two  or  three 
years  of  disappointment  and  gloom  passed  heavily 
away,  when,  in  1544,  Cortez  addressed  a  last  and  a 
touching  letter  to  the  emperor. 

"I  had  hoped,"  writes  the  world-weary  old   man, 


284  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

"that  the  toils  of  my  youth  would  have  secured  me 
repose  in  my  old  age.  For  forty  years  I  have  lived 
with  but  little  sleep,  with  bad  food,  and  with  weap- 
ons of  war  continually  at  my  side.  I  have  endured 
all  peril,  and  spent  my  substance  in  exploring  distant 
and  unknown  regions,  that  I  might  spread  abroad  the 
name  of  my  sovereign,  and  extend  his  sway  over 
powerful  nations.  This  I  have  done  without  aid  from 
home,  and  in  the  face  of  those  who  thirsted  for  my 
blood.  I  am  now  aged,  infirm,  and  overwhelmed 
with  debt."  He  concluded  this  affecting  epistle  by 
beseeching  the  emperor  to  "order  the  Council  of  the 
Indies,  with  the  other  tribunals  which  had  cognizance 
of  his  suits,  to  come  to  a  decision,  since  I  am  too 
old  to  wander  about  like  a  vagrant,  but  ought  rather, 
during  the  brief  remainder  of  my  life,  to  remain  at 
home  and  settle  my  account  with  heaven,  occupied 
with  the  concerns  of  my  soul  rather  than  with  my 
substance." 

His  appeal  was  unavailing.  For  three  more  weary 
years  he  lingered  about  the  court,  hoping,  in  the 
midst  of  disappointments  and  intermittent  despair,  to 
attain  his  ends.  But  at  last  all  hope  expired,  and  the 
poor  old  man,  with  shattered  health  and  a  crushed 
spirit,  prepared  to  return  to  Mexico  in  gloom  and 
obscurity  to  die.  He  had  proceeded  as  far  as  Seville, 
when,  overcome  by  debility   and   dejection,  he   could 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  CORTEZ    285 

go  no  farther.  It  was  soon  apparent  to  all  that  his 
last  hour  was  at  hand.  The  dying  man,  with  mind 
still  vigorous,  immediately  executed  his  will.  This 
long  document  is  quite  characteristic  of  its  author. 
He  left  nine  children,  five  of  whom  were  born  out  of 
wedlock.  He  remembered  them  all  affectionately  in 
his  paternal  bequests. 

He  founded  a  theological  seminary  "at  Cojuhacan,  in 
one  of  the  provinces  of  Mexico,  for  the  education  of 
missionaries  to  preach  the  Gospel  among  the  natives. 
A  convent  of  nuns  he  also  established  in  the  same 
place,  in  the  chapel  of  which  he  wished  his  remains 
to  be  deposited.  He  also  founded  a  hospital  in  the 
city  of  Mexico,  to  be  dedicated  to  Our  Lady  of  the 
Conception. 

In  these  solemn  hours  of  approaching  death,  his 
conscience  does  not  appear  to  have  disturbed  him  at  all 
in  reference  to  his  wars  of  invasion  and  conquest,  and 
the  enormous  slaughter  which  they  had  caused,  but 
he  was  troubled  in  view  of  the  slavery  to  which  they 
had  doomed  the  poor  Mexicans.  With  dying  hand 
he  inscribes  the  following  remarkable  lines: 

"It  has  long  been  a  question  whether  one  can 
conscientiously  hold  property  in  Indian  slaves.  Since 
this  point  has  not  yet  been  determined,  I  enjoin  it  on 
my  son  Martin  and  his  heirs  that  they  spare  no  pains 
to  come  to  an   exact   knowledge  of  the  truth,  as  a 


286  HERNANDO   CORTEZ 

matter  which  concerns  the  conscience  of  each   one  of 
them  no  less  than  mine." 

As  the  noise  of  the  city  disturbed  the  dying  man, 
he  was  removed  to  the  neighboring  village  of  Cas- 
tilleja.  His  son,  then  but  fifteen  years  of  age, 
watched  over  his  venerated  father,  and  nursed  him 
with  filial  affection.  On  the  second  day  of  Decem- 
ber, fifteen  hundred  and  forty-seven,  Cortez  died,  in 
the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  was  buried  with 
great  pomp  in  the  tomb  of  the  Duke  of  Medina  Sido- 
nia  at  Seville.  A  vast  concourse  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  whole  surrounding  country  attended  his  funeral. 
Five  years  after  his  death,  in  1562,  his  son  Martin 
removed  his  remains  to  Mexico,  and  deposited  them, 
not  at  Cojuhacan,  as  Cortez  had  requested,  but  in  a 
family  vault  in  the  monastery  at  Tezcuco.  Here  the 
remains  of  Cortez  reposed  for  sixty-seven  years.  In 
1629  the  Mexican  authorities  decided  to  transfer  them 
to  Mexico,  to  be  deposited  beneath  the  church  of  St. 
Francis.  The  occasion  was  celebrated  with  all  the  ac- 
companiments of  religious  and  military  pomp.  The 
bells  tolled  the  funeral  knell,  and  from  muffled  drums 
and  martial  bands  sublime  requiems  floated  forth  over 
the  still  waters  of  the  lake,  as  the  mortal  remains  of 
Cortez  were  borne  over  the  long  causeway,  where  he 
had  displayed  such  superhuman  energy  during  the 
horrors  of  the  dismal  night. 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  CORTEZ     287 

Here  the  ashes  of  Cortez  reposed  undisturbed  for 
one  hundred  and  sixty-five  years,  when  the  mould- 
ering relics  were  again  removed  in  1794,  and  were 
more  conspicuously  enshrined  in  the  Hospital  of  Our 
Lady  of  the  Conception,  which  Cortez  had  founded 
and  endowed.  A  crystal  coffin,  secured  with  bars  of 
iron,  inclosed  the  relics,  over  which  a  costly  and 
beautiful  monument  was  reared. 


THE  END. 


;  :m- 


